Key developments since May 2002: In
mid-2002, a funding crisis led to significantly scaled-back clearance operations
and forced the lay-off of nearly half of UXO LAO’s operational capacity.
Operations have since gradually been resumed and staff re-hired. In 2002, 8.4
million square meters of land was cleared and 98,963 items of UXO destroyed.
Mine risk education was provided in 683 villages, reaching 160,053 people. UXO
LAO reported 99 mine/UXO casualties in nine provinces in 2002.
Mine Ban Policy
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos)
has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, but the government is demonstrating
increasing interest in the treaty. In May 2003, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs
representative told Landmine Monitor, “Laos is seriously considering to
accede to the treaty. Efforts are being made to raise the awareness of
officials and population over this very
issue.”[1] The draft
2003-2013 Strategic Plan for the unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance program
includes in its objectives a review of the ability of Laos to accede to the Mine
Ban Treaty and states that the government “will in any event make all
efforts to abide by the spirit, if not the letter, of the
Convention.”[2]
In May 2003, a Laos government official told Landmine Monitor that the
country does not produce antipersonnel mines and, “if it possesses”
mines, it is for “self-defense and security
purposes.”[3] Laos is not
known to have exported antipersonnel mines. No specific information is
available on the antipersonnel mine stockpile in Laos. There have been no
reports of recent use of antipersonnel mines in Laos.
While Laos participated for the first time as an observer in the Third
Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001, it did not
attend the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002 or the
intersessional meetings in February and May
2003.[4] However, Laos did
participate in the regional seminar, “Building a Cooperative Future for
Mine Action,” held in Phnom Penh in March 2003.
Laos has been absent from every pro-mine ban UN General Assembly resolution
vote since 1996, including Resolution 57/74 in November 2002.
Laos is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its original
Protocol II on landmines, but it did not attend any CCW-related meetings in the
reporting period.
Two survivors from Laos participated in the Raising the Voices advocacy
training session held in Geneva during the February 2003 intersessional
meetings.[5] They issued a
statement, together with four survivors from Thailand, urging governments to
promote participation by persons with disabilities in the
workplace.[6]
Landmine/UXO Problem, Surveys and Assessments
Laos is mainly affected by unexploded ordnance
(UXO) dating back to the Indochina War, especially the period from 1964 to 1973,
when it is estimated that more than two million tons of ordnance were dropped on
Laos. Fifteen of the country’s eighteen provinces are significantly
affected by UXO; the most heavily contaminated provinces are Savannakhet, Xieng
Khouang, Saravane and
Khammouane.[7] Over 85 percent
of the population lives in rural areas, and UXO seriously constrains the
livelihood and food security of large sections of the
population.[8]
During the Indochina War all parties laid antipersonnel mines including the
Royal Army, the army of the Pathet Lao, Vietnamese and US forces. According to
the national clearance agency UXO LAO, the minefields (as opposed to UXO) have a
limited impact on the civilian population and are not considered a priority for
clearance.[9]
A Level One Survey conducted by Handicap International (HI) and released in
1997 remains the main reference, as no other comprehensive technical survey has
been conducted since. UXO LAO has two-men survey teams that conduct technical
survey tasks according to the yearly work plan and provide information to roving
and clearance teams. Some UXO LAO implementing partners have expressed the need
for more comprehensive technical
surveys.[10] According to the
UN Development Programme (UNDP) Chief Technical Advisor to UXO LAO, this will be
addressed in the multi-year strategic mine action
plan.[11]
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) is expected to
become the main data collection system and a useful instrument for clearance
planning, but as of March 2003, conversion of the current UXO LAO data base to
IMSMA had not been completed, due in part to a funding crisis in 2002.
UNDP has offered to fund a Post-Clearance Impact Assessment to be started in
2003 and aimed at assessing post-clearance land use and quantifying the benefits
of clearance.[12]
Mine Action Funding
In 1995, a Trust Fund was established under the
UNDP to finance a nationwide program of UXO/mine clearance. In 2002, the UNDP
Trust Fund for UXO LAO operations received US$4.36 million from donors. Other
contributions to mine action in Laos were made outside of the Trust Fund, on a
bilateral basis. For example, the European Commission provided €1 million
for Handicap International Belgium (HIB) technical assistance in Savannakhet for
the period from September 2002 to August 2004; Germany provided €745,212
to GERBERA for clearance; Belgium provided €560,135, including in-kind
contributions, to support UXO Lao operations in the province of Champassak;
Australia provided A$340,060 to UNICEF for mine/UXO awareness; the United States
provided $1 million through the Leahy War Victims Fund in addition to its
contribution to the Trust Fund.
According to information provided to and gathered by Landmine Monitor,
fifteen donors contributed more than $8 million to mine action in Laos in 2002,
including funds for the UNDP Trust Fund and other bilateral
contributions.[13] These
included: Australia US$457,000; Belgium $534,000; Canada US$174,000; Denmark
$1.05 million; European Union $1.045 million; Finland $285,000; Germany
$708,000; Italy $142,000; Japan $171,000; South Korea $40,000; Luxembourg
$270,000; Netherlands $500,000; New Zealand US$123,000; Norway $250,000; and
United States $2.328 million.
UXO Lao and the UNDP Trust Fund identify the following contributions to the
Trust Fund in 2002, totaling $4.36 million: Canada US$93,831; Denmark $943,841;
Finland $294,986; Japan $200,000; South Korea $48,584; Luxembourg $250,000;
Netherlands $500,000; New Zealand US$354,300; Norway $249,990; United Kingdom
$200,000; United States $1,011,086; and others
$224,732.[14]
In 2002, the UXO LAO program spent $2,723,287, which is significantly less
than the $4.6 million budgeted for the
year.[15] This was primarily
the result of a cash flow crisis in June 2002, when there were insufficient
funds to pay national staff costs. The crisis resulted in the late payment of
June salaries and a major staff reduction in July
2002.[16]
In 2001, total mine action funding for Laos amounted to an estimated $7.5
million, including $4.1 million for UXO LAO and about $3.4 million provided
directly to NGO partners.[17]
The UXO LAO budget for 2003 is $4.2 million. As of mid-March, UNDP had
recorded hard pledges or confirmed funding totaling $2.25 million from eight
donors and “soft” pledges totaling $1.2 million from four
donors.[18]
The United States has been the largest donor to mine action programs in Laos,
having contributed more than $23 million since its fiscal year
1996.[19] Laos received
$2,382,000 from the US in its fiscal year
2002.[20] Most US funding has
been done outside of the UNDP Trust Fund.
Coordination and Planning of Mine Action
The Lao National UXO program (UXO LAO) is the
national government agency responsible for mine/UXO clearance. The Ministry of
Labour and Social Welfare is responsible for the coordination and implementation
of UXO clearance and awareness activities in Laos. It hosts and chairs meetings
of the National UXO LAO Steering Committee and provides assistance and
coordination with other ministries and provincial authorities. The National
Steering Committee is the policy-making body for UXO LAO and provides guidance
and direction.[21]
To address the structural problems highlighted by the June 2002 crisis, at
the end of 2002 the government of Laos launched a process to prepare a
multi-year strategic mine/UXO action plan for the period from 2003-2013. This
is expected to address institutional development, policy making, clearance
techniques and technologies, community awareness and victim assistance. UXO LAO
submitted the first draft of the strategic plan to the government for review in
early March 2003.[22]
UXO LAO’s work plan for 2003 has established the following targets:
roving clearance teams to visit 1,321 villages; clearance teams to clear 9.31
million square meters of land. A higher priority is being given to area
clearance over roving
clearance.[23] The two
clearance priorities are agricultural land and socio-economic development.
Twelve training courses are to be held at the National Training Center.
The 2003 National Work Plan has been compiled from nine provincial
plans.[24] In certain provinces
there have been concerns about the transparency of the decision-making process.
HIB refused to sign the 2003 Work Plan for Savannakhet, requesting more
involvement of all
stakeholders.[25]
In September 2002, an external evaluation mission of the UNDP Trust Fund and
UXO LAO Mine Action recommended, among other things, the creation of a
regulatory authority, in order to separate coordination and regulatory functions
from implementation.[26] The
recommendations are under consideration.
Mine/UXO Clearance
In 2002, UXO LAO conducted activities in nine
provinces, including mine/UXO clearance, survey and training, and community
awareness.[27] UXO LAO roving
teams visited 1,454 villages and destroyed a total of 83,043 items of UXO,
including 26,159 bombies and 208
landmines.[28] UXO LAO’s
area clearance teams manually cleared 8.425 million square meters of land, which
amounted to 104 percent of the annual target, and destroyed 15,920
UXO.[29]
The clearance achievements were slightly better than the targets set despite
the cash flow crisis of June 2002, which resulted in significant staff
reductions in provincial operations. By 15 July 2002, staff numbers were
reduced from 1,130 to 503. However, by the end of August the funding situation
had improved and some staff were gradually re-hired, reaching a total of 688 as
of 31 December 2002.[30] The
cut in UXO LAO personnel was a painful process and the government is expected to
make a decision considering funding possibilities for future
years.[31]
In 2002, three training courses were held at the National Training Center,
including a senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician’s course
and a management course for provincial coordinators. Six UXO LAO staff
participated in a six-week mine action manager’s course in Bangkok,
together with participants from the Thai Mine Action Center.
In 2002, UXO LAO had six implementing partners: Belgian military, GERBERA
GmbH, HIB, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and
World Vision Australia. World Vision ended its assistance to UXO LAO in
Khammouane in June 2002. In 2003, five implementing partners continue to
provide support to UXO LAO.
In 2002 and 2003, GERBERA, a German commercial demining company active in
Laos since 1996, provided four technical advisors to UXO LAO in Houaphan and
Luang Prabang provinces. GERBERA’s activities are funded by
Germany.[32]
HIB provided technical assistance to UXO LAO in Savannakhet province in 2002
and 2003. The program is scheduled to end in August
2004.[33] In 2003, HIB’s
support to UXO LAO included three technical advisors and a logistician. UXO LAO
requested HIB’s support in Khammouane and HIB conducted a needs assessment
there in early December 2002. As of May 2003, the project required additional
funding.
MAG, a British demining NGO active in Laos since 1994, provided technical
assistance to UXO LAO in two provinces in 2002. In Saravane, MAG’s
activities ceased in March 2002, when a bilateral funding agreement with the UK
ended. MAG operated in Xieng Khouang continuously in 2002. This was the only
province where clearance operations were not reduced in June 2002, due to
earmarked funding from Denmark. Since mid-November 2002, MAG has been
conducting a trial/feasibility study of Village Assisted Clearance, aimed at
involving villagers and increasing the rate of UXO removal from agricultural
land. Locally hired villagers are trained in the use of metal detectors and
scrub cutters.[34]
In 2002, NPA scaled down its activities to two Technical Advisors to the UXO
LAO headquarters, one Senior Advisor of Finance and one Senior Advisor engaged
in training advanced EOD and monitoring field operations. However, due to
funding constraints, the two advisors were later reduced to one, the Senior
Advisor of Finance. Future funding for that position is uncertain, awaiting a
decision by the US Department of
State.[35] Belgium provided
four military EOD advisers to support UXO LAO activities in Champassak
province.
Clearance activities outside UXO LAO are undertaken by the Lao Army, mainly
for large infrastructure projects, like national roads.
Milsearch, an Australian company, conducts commercial demining. Milsearch
began operations in Laos in 1993 and has conducted 51 clearance operations since
then. It has cleared approximately 2,000 hectares and destroyed some 73,000
items of unexploded ordnance, including 318 landmines. As of mid-2003, it had
600 people in the field. Projects have mainly concerned infrastructure, such as
roads, dams, and power
lines.[36]
In March 2002, a UXO LAO team leader and section commander were killed in an
accident in Xieng Khouang province during a routine demolition. These were the
first UXO-related fatalities among UXO LAO staff since the program’s
establishment in 1996.[37]
Mine Risk Education
Mine and UXO risk education is a component of the
UXO LAO program and, as such, it is integrated with other
operations.[38] In 2002,
Community Awareness teams visited 683 villages, reaching 160,053
people.[39] The Community
Awareness program conducted an in-depth study on risk behavior, financed by
UNICEF. The study planned to cover five provinces, but due to the reduction of
UXO LAO capacity, only three provinces were surveyed. As of May 2003 the final
report had not been
submitted.[40]
Since 1999, UNICEF has supported the Ministry of Education in the
introduction of a school curriculum on UXO awareness, implemented by a
consortium of two US NGOs: World Learning and World Education. The program has
continued to expand and in 2002 it operated in 911 schools in 15 districts,
reaching a total of 86,500 students. UNICEF also continues to support the
“Sport-in-a-Box” program, which provides UXO safety education to
youth both in and out of school, with an emphasis on reaching children who do
not attend school.[41] The
focal partner for the project is the Lao Youth Union, which has representatives
in every district. As of March 2003 the project has been implemented in 100
villages of six provinces. According to the UNICEF officer, there is a need for
more mine/UXO risk education addressed to other target groups, in particular
male adults, who form the majority of mine/UXO
casualties.[42]
UXO/Landmine Casualties
In 2002, 99 new mine/UXO casualties were reported
in 43 incidents in the nine provinces of UXO LAO operations: 28 people were
killed and 71 injured; 76 were male and 23 female. Nearly half (47 percent) of
the reported casualties were children under the age of
18.[43]
Casualties were reported in the provinces of: Xieng Khouang (ten killed and
16 injured), Savannakhet (two killed and 17 injured), Luang Prabang (five killed
and 16 injured), Khammouane (8 killed and one injured), Champassak (eight
injured), Attapeu (two killed and four injured); Saravane (six injured),
Houaphan (one killed and one injured), and Sekong (two
injured).[44]
In 2001, 122 new UXO/mine casualties were reported (35 killed and 87
injured).[45] In 2000, 102
casualties were recorded (39 killed and 63
injured).[46] While the number
of reported casualties decreased in 2002, it is not clear whether the reduction
is due to fewer incidents or a reduced capacity to collect the necessary data.
The statistics do not represent the countrywide situation, as casualty data is
only collected in nine of the fifteen affected provinces, mainly in the
districts where UXO LAO is operating. Incidents in remote areas are often not
recorded especially when the person involved
dies.[47] In addition, data is
not systematically collected; for example, there is no regular monitoring of
provincial and district hospital
records.[48]
Casualties continue to be reported in 2003. From January to March, UXO LAO
reported seven UXO/mine incidents resulting in sixteen casualties: nine killed
and seven injured, including ten
children.[49] These statistics
did not include incidents in Savannakhet, where according to HIB, eight
incidents were reported resulting in thirteen casualties (two killed and eleven
injured) in the period from January to 5 May
2003.[50] Four of these
incidents involved six children collecting scrap metal.
In some parts of the country, the scrap metal industry has become a leading
cause of UXO casualties. While this industry is not new to Laos, the activity
has recently become widespread due to the easy availability of simple
technologies, such as the metal
detector.[51] As the scrap
metal trade is mainly with Vietnam, the most affected provinces are the ones
close to the border, especially Savannakhet, where, in the first three months of
2003, all but one reported incident involved civilians collecting scrap metal.
Children, in particular, use metal detectors of Vietnamese origin purchased in
the district market in Xepon or provided by Vietnamese dealers for free in
exchange for scrap metal.[52]
In January 2003, UXO LAO in Savannakhet made a request to the Governor to take
action and forbid the use of metal
detectors.[53]
Survivor Assistance
Health care facilities in Laos are limited. A
poor communications infrastructure and lack of information on available services
limits access to medical and rehabilitation facilities for UXO survivors who
generally live in remote areas and, in particular, for survivors from ethnic
minorities who do not speak Lao. A representative of the Lao Disabled
People’s Association told Landmine Monitor that a person with disabilities
is the poorest of the poor in a developing country where food security remains a
problem in rural areas.[54]
First aid to UXO casualties is usually provided in the district hospital,
where only very basic medical care is available. For surgery, the patient is
usually evacuated to the provincial hospital, but patients with severe injures
can be only treated in two hospitals, both in Vientiane. It is reported that
many UXO casualties die not only because of the type of weapons causing the
injuries, but due to a lack of emergency medical
care.[55] Evacuation from the
site of the incident to the hospital or from district health centers to
provincial hospitals is problematic as in some cases patients are asked to pay
for transportation in advance and they cannot afford it or it takes time for the
family to find the funds.[56]
The War Victims Assistance Project, supported by the US Leahy War Victims
Fund and administered by Consortium, provides medical training, medical
equipment, a management system for revolving drug funds, and renovation of
hospital emergency and surgical areas. The annual budget for the program is
approximately US$350,000. The project is supplemented by a privately funded War
Victims Medical Fund, which pays for all medical and transportation costs
incurred by people injured by UXO. In 2002, the Fund assisted 54 UXO survivors
in three provinces (Houaphan, Savannakhet and Xieng Khouang). Another privately
supported fund, the Quality of Life Rehabilitation Fund, provides grants for
socio-economic reintegration of UXO
survivors.[57]
The Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE), a partnership
between the Ministry of Health, POWER, World Vision Laos, the Cambodian School
of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO), and the Association for Aid and Relief
Japan (AAR), continues to provide support to the National Rehabilitation Center
(NRC) and four provincial prosthetic and orthotic centers (PRCs). Since 1997,
COPE has supported activities including the refurbishment of all five centers;
equipping all centers for polypropylene technology; and staff training; training
of fourteen new prosthetic and orthotic technicians; and capacity building in
the NRC and in the Lao Disabled People’s Association. In 2002, the NRC in
Vientiane and in the four PRCs of Pakse, Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang and Luang
Phrabang assisted 688 people, including 284 UXO survivors. The centers produced
443 prostheses and 245 orthoses. Previously, patients did not pay for services,
but since February 2003, COPE has implemented a cost recovery system whereby
patients must pay according to their
means.[58] The program received
funds from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, World Vision Australia,
AusAID, Fondation Pro Victims, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, Canada Fund,
Nippon Foundation, Rissho Kosei-kai, and the UK Department for International
Development (DFID).[59]
In 2002, AAR operated the Wheelchair Production Project at the NRC aimed at
enhancing local capacity in wheelchair production and distribution. The
workshop produced 200 wheelchairs in 2002. Since September 2002, AAR and the
NRC have undertaken a cost recovery program, through which wheelchairs are sold
at the production cost of 3,000 Thai Bhat (approximately US$72). Beneficiaries
who cannot afford to pay are helped to find a sponsor. The project has secured
funding from Japan until the end of
2003.[60]
Handicap International Belgium (HIB) has conducted a physiotherapy support
program in Laos since 1997. In 2002, HIB supported the development of the
physiotherapy departments in three general hospitals and four provincial
hospitals. Of the 4,500 patients who received treatment only ten were mine/UXO
survivors. The project is funded by Handicap International
Luxembourg.[61] In 2003, with
the support of UNICEF, HIB initiated a psychosocial study on children’s
trauma due to UXO/landmine incidents, which is expected to cover five provinces,
collecting information on 500 UXO/mine
survivors.[62]
HIB, World Concern and Garneau International provide Community Based
Rehabilitation for people with
disabilities.[63]
In October 2002, the UNDP Country Office approached HIB to commission a
feasibility study on the opportunity as well as the means and mechanisms
required to establish a National Database on Victims of UXO/Mine Accidents. A
proposal to that effect was being finalized in
mid-2003.[64]
Disability Policy and Practice
There are currently no disability laws in
Laos.[65] There is a move to
develop national plans on comprehensive rehabilitation and prevention of
disabilities, including protection of the legal rights of persons with
disabilities.[66]
The governmental National Commission for Disabled People (NCDP) is mandated
to represent the rights of persons with disabilities, to make proposals to the
government on laws and policies, and to produce a National
Plan.[67] The NCDP also
established the Lao Disabled People’s Association (LPDA), which was
created in 1990 as a self-help group. With the Ministry of Labour and Social
Welfare’s approval of the by-law in July 2001, LDPA became an NGO under
the direct supervision of the NCDP. In September 2002, the LDPA issued a
Five-Year Strategic Plan that identified the main areas of intervention: to
develop its membership; to create a strong provincial structure; to advocate for
members’ needs and rights; and to create and support services for its
members.[68] The LDPA is in the
process of establishing branches in the provinces. In order to keep members
informed and raise awareness, a newsletter is issued every
month.[69] The LDPA receives
financial support from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, UK’s
DFID, Sweden’s SHIA, and Japan’s ADDP, and technical assistance for
institutional capacity building from
COPE.[70]
Three members of the LDPA, including the President, Singkham Takounphak,
participated in the Raising the Voice program during the intersessional Standing
Committee meetings in February 2003. The activities were reported to the
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare and other initiatives are under
consideration for the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok.
On 10–11 June 2002, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare held the
Second National Workshop on Victim Assistance, following initiatives undertaken
in 2001.[71] The main
recommendations from the workshop include the strengthening of institutional
capacity of the NCDP, and the coordination of networks in the country and in the
region.[72]
[1] Email from Khampho Khaykhamphithoune,
First Secretary, Laos Mission to the EU (Brussels), 20 May
2003. [2] “The Safe Path Forward:
Strategic Plan 2003-2013,” draft, 10 March
2003. [3] Email from Khampho
Khaykhamphithoune, Laos Mission to the EU (Brussels), 20 May
2003. [4] The government apparently
could not afford the assessed fee for participation in the Fourth Meeting of
States Parties. Interview with Eric Gagnon, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP, UXO
LAO, Vientiane, 12 March 2003. [5] They
were: Singkham Takounphak, President, Lao Disabled People’s Association,
and Bounvien Luanggnoth, Director of the Veterans Affairs Department, Ministry
of Labor and Social Welfare, Secretary-General of the National Committee for
Disabled People, and Vice President of the Lao Disabled People’s
Association. [6] Raising the Voices
Intervention, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 6 February
2003. [7] Handicap International
Belgium, Living with UXO: Final Report National Survey on the Socio-Economic
Impact of UXO in Lao PDR, 1997. [8] UXO
LAO, “Work Plan 2002,” Vientiane, May 2002. The US has estimated
that more than 87,000 square kilometers of land are infested with UXO and mines.
US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September
2002, p. 28. [9] Interview with Eric
Gagnon, UNDP, 12 March 2003. [10]
Interviews with Michael Hayes, Senior Technical Advisor, MAG, Vientiane, 14
March 2003; Tony West, Chief Technical Advisor, HIB, Savannakhet, 16 March 2003;
and Siegfried Block, Project Manager, GERBERA, Vientiane, 20 March
2003. [11] Interview with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP, 12 March 2003. [12]
Ibid. [13] See individual country
reports in this edition of Landmine Monitor Report. In some cases, the funding
was for the country’s fiscal year, not calendar year 2002. Landmine
Monitor has done the currency conversions and rounded off
numbers. [14] UXO LAO, “UXO LAO
Programme Progress Report 2002,” Vientiane, undated; and interview with
Justin Shone, Manager, UNDP Trust Fund, Vientiane, 14 March
2003. [15]
Ibid. [16] UXO LAO, “UXO LAO
Programme Progress Report
2002.” [17] The UNDP Trust Fund
Manager estimated direct funding to partners at $900,000, largely from Belgium
and Germany. Email, Justin Shone, UNDP Trust Fund, 3 July
2002. [18] Interview with Justin Shone,
UNDP Trust Fund, 14 March 2003. [19] US
Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September 2002,
p. 28. This includes $5 million from the Leahy War Victims
Fund. [20] US Department of State,
“Congressional Budget Justifications: Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 2004
- Bilateral Economic Assistance - State, Treasury, Complex Foreign
Contingencies, Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, Famine Fund,” 3 February
2003, p. 126. This includes $1 million from the Leahy War Victims Fund.
[21] It includes representatives from
the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security, and a representative
from each of the nine mine/UXO-affected provinces, the National Programme
Director, UNDP and UNICEF. UXO LAO, “Work Plan 2001,” Vientiane,
March 2001, p. 7. [22] Interview with
Eric Gagnon, UNDP, 12 March 2003. [23]
UXO LAO, “UXO LAO Programme Work Plan and Budget,
2003.” [24] Interview with Kathryn
Sweet, Program Officer Advisor, UXO LAO, Vientiane, 13 March
2003. [25] Interview with Luc
Delneuville, Laos Program Director, HIB, Brussels, 8 May
2003. [26] Interview with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP, 12 March 2003. [27] The nine
provinces are Attapeu, Champassak, Houaphan, Khammouane, Luang Prabang,
Saravane, Savannakhet, Sekong, and Xieng
Khouang. [28] No breakdown is available
on the type of landmines cleared, but antivehicle mines are believed to be rare
in Laos. [29] UXO LAO, “UXO LAO
Programme Progress Report
2002.” [30]
Ibid. [31] Interview with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP, 12 March 2003. [32] Interview
with Siegfried Block, GERBERA, 20 March
2003. [33] Interview with Luc
Delneuville, HIB, 12 March 2003. [34]
Interview with Michael Hayes, MAG, 14 March
2003. [35] Norwegian People's Aid,
“Humanitarian Mine Action 2002,” 2 May
2003. [36] Email from Paul McGuiness,
Manager, Milsearch, Lao PDR, 2 July
2003. [37] UXO LAO, “UXO LAO
Programme Progress Report
2002.” [38] UXO LAO, “Work
Plan 2002.” [39] UXO LAO,
“UXO LAO Programme Progress Report
2002.” [40] Interview with Amanda
Bissex, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF, Vientiane, 14 March 2003; Email from
Amanda Bissex, UNICEF, 5 May 2003. [41]
UNICEF, “Sport in a Box,” undated
brochure. [42] Interview with Amanda
Bissex, UNICEF, 14 March 2003. [43] UXO
LAO, “Summary Report of UXO Accidents: December 2002,” Vientiane, 31
December 2002. [44]
Ibid. [45] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 696-697. [46] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 554. [47]
Interview with Kathryn Sweet, UXO LAO, 13 March
2003. [48] Interview with Tony West,
HIB, 16 March 2003. [49] OPS-UXO LAO
“Summary Report of UXO Accidents: March 2003,” Vientiane, 31 March
2003. [50] Email from Tony West, HIB, 4
May 2003. [51] Interview with Zacharias
Johnson, Technical Advisor, HIB, Savannakhet, 18 March
2003. [52] During a visit to Savannakhet
province, the Landmine Monitor researcher met a 13-year-old boy who had been
injured by a bombie while he and two others were searching for scrap metal.
The three boys had a metal detector lent to them. Landmine Monitor researchers
also met four men on the old Ho Chi Minh Trail, transporting three bomb shells.
According to the men, the shells were provided by children using metal detectors
in a village a few hours away. [53]
Interview with Keng Keo, EOD Team Leader, UXO LAO, Savannakhet, 18 March
2003. [54] Interview with Singkham
Takounphak, Bounvien Luanggnoth and Xoukiet Panyanouvong, LDPA, Vientiane, 14
March 2003. [55] Interview with Barbara
Lewis, Team Leader, War Victims Assistance Project, Vientiane, 14 March
2003. [56] Interview with Tony West,
HIB, 16 March 2003. [57] Response to
questionnaire from Barbara Lewis, War Victims Assistance Project, 14 April
2003. [58] The established policy is
that 20 percent of the variable cost will be covered by patient, according to
their ability to pay: some patients pay 100 percent and some
nothing. [59] Response to Landmine
Monitor questionnaire by Michael Boddington, Chief Executive, COPE, Vientiane, 8
April 2003. [60] Interview with Mariko
Harada, Vice-Representative, AAR, Vientiane, 13 March
2003. [61] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Eric Weerts, Project Coordinator, HIB, 14 March
2003. [62] Interview with Didier
Bertrand, researcher for the psycho-social impact study, Savannakhet, 15 March
2003. [63] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 698. [64] Email to Landmine
Monitor (HRW) from Eric Gagnon, UNDP, 20 July
2003. [65] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 557. [66] Interview with Luc
Delneuville, HIB, 8 February 2002. [67]
Art.2 Prime Ministerial Decree n. 18 of January 27th 1995, English translation
of “Report on Second National Workshop on Victim Assistance June 10
– 11, 2002,” Vientiane, Undated. NCDP consists of the Minister of
Labour and Social Welfare acting as the president and representatives from
Ministries of Public Health, Foreign Affairs and
Defense. [68] LDPA, “Five-Year
Strategic Plan,” Vientiane, September 2002; and LDPA, “Provisional
Bylaw,” Vientiane, 12 July
2001. [69] Interview with Singkham
Takounphak, Bounvien Luanggnoth and Xoukiet Panyanouvong, LDPA, Vientiane, 14
March 2003. [70] Interview with Michael
Boddington, Chief Executive, COPE, Vientiane, 13 March 2003. The Diana,
Princess of Wales Memorial Fund provided two grants: $140,000 for April
2001-March 2003 and $400,000 for building the provincial branch structure for
the period December 2002-November 2005. DFID has agreed to provide $75,000 for
building, implementing and maintaining a membership recording, tracking and
management system over a three year period starting in
2003. [71] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 699. [72] “Report on
Second National Workshop on Victim Assistance June 10-11, 2002,”
Vientiane, undated.
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