During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped more bombs on supply routes in Laos than it did on all of Europe during World War II. Laos is paying the price, as the countryside is still riddled with unexploded bombs — many of which look like harmless metal spheres. Bomb disposal units are trying to reclaim the land from tons of unexploded ordnance.

Now, let's talk about an inadvertent American export: unexploded bombs. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped more bombs on Laos than it did on all of Europe during World War II - an estimated 1.6 million tons. That made Laos the most heavily bombed country in the world by some measures.

Americans were trying to disrupt communist supply lines along the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, much of which ran through Laos on its way back into Vietnam. But a lot of the bombs that were dropped did not detonate, and they are still creating problems 40 years later. NPR's Southeast Asia correspondent Michael Sullivan reports.

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PRESS RELEASE

NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SOLUTIONS TO

LAOS’ 40-YEAR-OLD CLUSTER BOMB PROBLEM

(Washington D.C., Feb 3, 2010) – Legacies of War (“Legacies”) announces the release of its conference report, “A Peaceful Legacy Now: Briefing & Discussion on Cluster Bomb Removal and Assistance in Laos,” which details the current status of cluster bomb clearance, victim assistance and risk awareness education in Laos and recommends a substantial increase in U.S. funding for these activities. The report contains the key findings and recommendations that emerged from the first U.S.-based meeting on the topic of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos, convened by Legacies in Washington, D.C. on November 5, 2009.

“The report contains the most up-to-date information on the issue of UXO in Laos,” says Brett Dakin, Chair of Legacies’ Board of Directors.  He adds, “The November conference offered an historic opportunity to hear about the U.S. Vietnam War-era bombing and to discuss the current status of UXO clearance and related programs. This was the first time representatives of the U.S. and Lao governments and humanitarian organizations have all sat down together in one room to share their perspectives on finally addressing the long-term problem of UXO in Laos. We now have a clearer picture of the problem, and how to finally bring this 40-year old tragedy to an end.

The Bombing of Laos and the Continuing Tragedy of Cluster Bombs

Forbush Memorial Library

Westminster, MA

January 20, 2010, 6-8PM

 Mother and daughter, two of hundreds interviewed in 1971 by Walt Haney after the bombing. 

"Bombies" documentary by Jack Silberman tells of the history and current problems of cluster bombs in Laos.

WALT HANEY, Forbush Library Trustee and longtime resident of Westminster, will give a talk on “The Bombing of Laos and the Continuing Tragedy of Cluster Bombs.” Haney spent more than three years in Laos, 1968-71 and 1975. In 1970 and 1971, he carried out two surveys of Lao refugees that helped document the widespread bombing of civilians in Laos. Reports on these surveys were both published in reports by the U.S. Senate.

Anthony Bourdain's trip to Laos was not only a culinary voyage but a humbling trip back in time.

Lao Transpired Art Exhibit - San Diego Lao New Year 2009 (April 3-5)

Legacies on Wheels - International Lao New Year in San Francisco (April 11) 

Legacies of War joins in upcoming Lao New Years Celebrations (click to download postcard)

Image: Boon vong

Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk ("Thavi") Phrasavath's Academy Award-nominated documentary The Betrayal will air on PBS' POV on July 21, 2009