Key developments since May 2004: In July 2005, Laos confirmed its
intention to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty in the future. The new National
Regulatory Authority, envisaged by the March 2004 National Strategic Plan, had
not started to operate as of August 2005. Some 18 square kilometers of land
were cleared by UXO Lao and two commercial operators in 2004, and an additional
1.4 square kilometers were cleared by Mines Advisory Group in 2004 to January
2005. In 2004, international donors provided $8.1 million for mine action in
Laos, twice as much as in 2003. Around 300,000 people received mine/UXO risk
education in 2004 and the first quarter of 2005. In 2004, a significant
increase in the number of mine/UXO casualties was reported.
Mine Ban Policy
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic has not acceded to the Mine Ban
Treaty. However, in recent years Laos has shown increasing interest in joining
the treaty.[1 ]In a July 2005 letter
to Landmine Monitor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “the Lao
Government has already expressed its intention to accede to this Convention.
However, in order for the Lao PDR to fully become party to the Ottawa
Convention, it requires some time to prepare necessary steps in meeting its
obligations.”[2 ]
The Ministry noted that in 2004, the government “organized a workshop
on dissemination of the Ottawa Convention,” attended by representatives of
government agencies and the military, “with a view to raising their
awareness and better understanding of the
Convention.”[3 ]This June 2004
national consultation was co-sponsored by the Canadian government and included
significant participation from the ministries of defense and
security.[4 ]
Laos did not attend the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in
November-December 2004 in Nairobi.[5 ]An official explained that all available human resources of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs were engaged in hosting the Tenth ASEAN Summit in Vientiane
on 29-30 November 2004, the biggest event Laos has ever
staged.[6 ]Laos also did not attend
the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June
2004 or June 2005.[7 ]
Laos has been absent from voting on every pro-mine ban UN General Assembly
resolution since 1996, including UNGA Resolution 59/84 on 3 December 2004, which
called for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Laos is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its original
Protocol II on landmines, but not Amended Protocol II. Laos did not attend the
annual meeting of Amended Protocol II States Parties in November 2004.
Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Use
In its July 2005 letter to Landmine Monitor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
clarifies the position of Laos with respect to production, transfer, stockpiling
and use of antipersonnel mines.[8 ]It
states that Laos does not produce antipersonnel mines and has no production
facilities. It states that Laos “does not buy or sell the said
mines.” Similarly, in February 2004, the Minister of Labor and Social
Welfare stated, “Laos does not buy or sell
mines.”[9 ]It is unclear
whether these statements reflect an official policy prohibiting the import or
export of antipersonnel mines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Laos has a
“relatively small stockpile acquired many years ago.” These mines
are likely of Chinese, Soviet and Vietnamese origin.
According to the Ministry, “Given a small population and inadequate
border guards to patrol the border, these mines are used in some border points
in order to defend the nation.”[10 ]In a February 2004 interview, Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said
that once the demarcation process of the country’s border with Thailand
was completed, “There will be no more need to use
landmines.”[11 ]In a May 2005
interview, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told Landmine Monitor that the
demarcation process was “93 percent”
completed.[12]
The Foreign Ministry also stated that Laos has “legislative and
executive” measures preventing the sale and use of antipersonnel mines:
Articles 70 and 71 of the Penal Code “impose serious punishments on those
who unlawfully possess, produce and use any ammunition and mines [and]
Regulations issued by the Ministry of Commerce number 0284/MC.FT, dated 17 March
2004, prohibit any export and import of
ammunition.”[13 ]
Landmine Monitor Report 2004 noted unconfirmed allegations in late
2003 and early 2004 of new mine use by the Lao military in conflicts with ethnic
groups, mainly Hmong.[14 ]The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said these allegations “were untrue and
fabricated with an objective to mislead the public about the reality in the Lao
PDR.”[15]
Landmine and UXO Problem
Laos has been described as the most bombed country per capita in world
history, with more than two million tons of ordnance, including 80 million
cluster bombs, dropped during the Indochina War from 1964 to
1973.[16 ]
As detailed in Landmine Monitor Report 2004, there is significant
mine contamination but landmines are a small part of the problem compared with
unexploded cluster munitions and other types of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Antipersonnel mines were laid by all parties during the Indochina War. Border
areas in particular are mine-contaminated. Early in 2004, it was suggested that
that there may be more than 1,000 minefields nationwide; in Xieng Khouang
province, 30 minefields had been identified with only 18 of them
marked.[17]
Cluster munitions and other UXO are spread extensively across the country,
as a result of ground fighting by all parties and US airstrikes. During the
1964-1973 war, there were few military targets to target; bombing was carried
out over wide areas in order to deny territory for enemy use, and cut supply
lines and target food supplies. It was estimated in 2004 that 87,213 square
kilometers (37 percent of the land area) remained at risk from UXO, with 12,427
square kilometers considered high risk. Clearance teams have found at least 186
different types of ordnance scattered across Laos, including 19 types of cluster
munitions. Ten of the 18 provinces were described as severely contaminated.
The Minister of Labor and Social Welfare declared that clearance of high
priority agricultural land will take 24 years, and complete clearance will take
over 100 years. UXO contamination poses a significant obstacle to development
in rural Laos.[18 ]
In some parts of Laos, UXO poses a particular threat because it has value as
scrap metal, resulting in the unofficial and unregulated civilian collection of
UXO. In 2004-2005, this practice was said to be increasing, with the
establishment of at least three new foundries operating in three of the most
contaminated provinces.[19 ]Organizations involved in UXO clearance, mine risk education and survivor
assistance describe scrap metal collection of UXO as a major problem since an
estimated 10 to 30 percent of this ordnance failed to explode, leaving up to 25
million “bombies” still on the ground alongside a wide assortment of
heavy bombs, rockets, grenades, artillery munitions and
mortars.[20]
Mine Action Program
The Lao UXO program (UXO Lao) has primary responsibility for mine and UXO
clearance, and until 2004 coordinated all mine/UXO action in Laos. Other
organizations' mine action operations in Laos were nationalized under UXO Lao in
2001. UXO Lao's previous financial problems were reported in May 2005 to have
been largely resolved through training in the integration of project planning
and budget management. International experts were said to have expressed
confidence in the financial integrity and transparency of UXO
Lao.[21 ]
A new National Regulatory Authority (NRA) to oversee and coordinate UXO/mine
action was created by the National Strategic Plan of 17 March 2004. According to
the Plan, the NRA, reporting to the Prime Minister’s office through the
Deputy Prime Minister, would include representatives of all relevant ministries
and observers from the donor community, with a technical advisor from the UN
Development Programme (UNDP). All mine action operators including commercial
companies and the Lao Army would report to NRA, and UXO Lao would retain only
its clearance role, continuing to work in nine provinces; independent operators
would be able to expand into areas not covered by UXO
Lao.[22 ]
As of August 2005, NRA was without a director and non-operational. As a
consequence, no responsibilities or sectoral activities had been transferred
from UXO Lao, and the transfer of funding for mine risk education and survivor
assistance was delayed. However, at least one independent NGO project had begun
and several others were proposed. In May 2005, Laoli Phaipheuzongtoa,
Vice-Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, was appointed Chair of UXO Lao and
Vice-Chair of NRA. Hiring of an NRA director is seen as pivotal to all
components of the UXO/mine sector in Laos, as well as the National Growth and
Poverty Eradication Strategy
(NGPES).[23]
The National Strategic Plan sets objectives and priorities for mine action
over the 10-year period 2003-2013. The plan is seen as one of the keys to
poverty reduction through development of the road network, irrigation,
decontamination of arable land and mainstreaming of UXO awareness into all
school curricula.[24 ]Contaminated
areas are divided into high, medium and low priority, according to the plan.
UXO Lao will double its productivity and complete clearance or marking of high
priority areas by 2013. Low priority areas will be handled by commercial
operators.[25 ]
International experts noted that adoption of standard operating procedures
for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and other means of area reduction would be
crucial in meeting the Plan's goal of UXO Lao demining 20 square kilometers a
year. To improve efficiency by improving the prioritizing of land for
clearance, UNDP and international operators recommended using a revised
technical survey methodology, including the need for area reduction and more
detailed assessment of the end-use of cleared land. This would complement
post-clearance impact assessment and assist linkage with the NGPES, particularly
with regard to agricultural
development.[26]
Survey and Assessment
No comprehensive technical survey has been conducted since the Handicap
International 1997 national impact survey. The National Strategic Plan
emphasized the need for “stepped-up technical surveys” at village
level, to be conducted by four to eight survey teams for each of the nine UXO
Lao provinces.[27 ]Survey teams
planned to visit 1,508 villages in
2005.[28 ]
Completed survey data is entered into the newly updated the Information
Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA); training started at provincial level
on the new system.[29 ]Post-clearance impact assessment scheduled to begin in 2003 had not begun
as of May 2005, but preparations were
underway.[30 ]
Landmine and UXO Clearance
Mine/UXO clearance was carried out in 2004 by five operators: UXO Lao (and
its implementing partners), Mines Advisory Group (as an independent operator),
the commercial companies Milsearch and MineTech, and the Lao Army.
In 2004, UXO Lao and its implementing partners cleared 12.6 square
kilometers (11 percent more than planned) including 10.8 square kilometers of
farmland, in the nine provinces of its
operation.[31 ]A total of 75,371
UXO was removed, including 38,964 (52 percent) cluster bomblets. Mobile teams
visited 1,570 villages nationwide (42 percent over
target).[32 ]Implementing partners
for clearance operations in 2004 were Mines Advisory Group and Potsdam
Kommunication, with its commercial partner Gerbera. Implementing partners for
technical assistance were Handicap International, Norwegian People's Aid and
units of the Belgian military.
Although 23 of 24 UXO Lao clearance teams had returned to full operation by
April 2004, after the previous funding crisis, clearance operations in many
areas were hampered by equipment shortages; much of UXO Lao’s physical
assets date from 1996-2000.[33 ]The
situation improved in late 2004 and early 2005, as some equipment was
replaced.[34 ]However, concerns
remain regarding detection equipment and vehicles, upgrading detection
technology, and servicing of
vehicles.[35 ]
In the first quarter of 2005, UXO Lao cleared 3.66 square kilometers of
agricultural land and 71,000 square meters of other land, removing 18,153 UXO.
In the same period mobile teams visited 292 villages, and 413 survey operations
were conducted.[36 ]The targets for
2005 included clearance of 14.8 square kilometers and mobile team visits to
1,380 villages.[37 ]
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) restarted clearance as an independent operator in
2004, after handover of its operations to UXO Lao in 2000, and after a pilot
project using explosive detection dogs from October 2003 to January 2004. In
2004 to January 2005, MAG cleared a total of 1.43 square
kilometers.[38 ]MAG conducts EOD
and clearance in three districts of Khammouane and two districts of Xieng
Khouang. In 2004, MAG also worked under UNESCO to clear three of the Plain of
Jars sites in Xieng Khouang, providing safe pathways and perimeters, as well as
clearing to a depth of three meters around the actual jar sites to facilitate
archeological activities.[39 ]
The German NGO, Potsdam Kommunikation (PK), operates as a UXO Lao
implementing partner, with technical assistance from the commercial demining
company Gerbera. PK transferred the program entirely to Lao counterparts in
July 2005.[40 ]Gerbera also planned
to transfer its program to Lao counterparts by 2005, but as of May 2005 had not
done so.[41 ]The number of
expatriate staff was reduced from six to two in 2004; their priorities included
training and capacity-building, particularly on EOD and other technical
issues.[42 ]
Handicap International (HI) handed over all reference materials and
equipment from its technical assistance project to UXO Lao in December
2004.[43 ]HI became an independent
operator in 2004 and in February proposed a project, Integrated UXO Threat
Reduction in Savannakhet Province of the Lao PDR, based on the results of the
Nong district study conducted in November 2003. The project was scheduled to
begin in October/November 2005 after completion of training and standard
operating procedures. HI planned to feature EOD in its clearance and to
integrate mine risk education teams to conduct technical survey in an effort to
gather information from the
community.[44]
Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) funding for technical assistance, due to end in
December 2004, was extended to August 2005. During 2004, NPA conducted
financial and work planning training.[45 ]As an independent operator, NPA proposed an enhanced technical survey
project in Sekong province, for completion in July 2006, to support future
post-clearance impact
assessment.[46]
Belgian military technical advisors have provided support in Champassak
province since 1998; funding for two advisors continued until April
2005.[47 ]
The commercial company Milsearch Pty. Ltd. (Australia) is engaged in a joint
venture with Bolisat Phathana Khetphoudoi, a company under the Lao Ministry of
Defense. It cleared an estimated total of 4.8 square kilometers of land in
2004, destroying 5,010 UXO. Contracts in 2004 and early 2005 included ongoing
clearance of the Xepon gold mine (Savannakhet province), the Nam Theun 2
hydropower project, construction of powerlines in Khammouane and Savannakhet
provinces, and provision of clean drinking water and basic sanitation services
in 10 provinces. The company has worked in 16 of 18
provinces.[48 ]
MineTech International began operations in Laos in May 2004 and conducted
both surface and underwater EOD operations for the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric
project in Khammouane and Bolikamxay provinces, also providing mine risk
education to construction crews on the sites. By the end of 2004, MineTech had
cleared 744,000 square meters, destroying 2,076 UXO (including 32 landmines).
Between January and the end of June 2005, MineTech cleared 6,900,000 square
meters, destroying an additional 3,127 UXO (including 20
mines).[49 ]
The Lao Army is responsible for clearance in border regions and for border
marking. It also engages in commercial contracts. Gerbera has engaged in
quality assurance contracts with the Army, including the Asia Development
Bank-funded upgrading of Route 9 through Savannakhet
province.[50 ]International
operators note that pay and professional standards are low. Some areas
reportedly have to be re-cleared three or four times before meeting quality
standards. Official sources confirm that the military often lacks necessary
equipment to complete clearance
tasks.[51 ]
The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) applied for approval in 2005 to
work as an independent operator to provide cleared land for food security
programs to be deployed by the World Food Program in three provinces. FSD
submitted two proposals, an integrated UXO project and a technical training
partnership with UXO Lao.[52 ]
Mine/UXO Risk Education
UXO Lao has been the major agency conducting UXO and mine risk education
(MRE). In addition, two MRE projects in 2003-2004, supported by UNICEF, focused
on raising awareness among children.
The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) for MRE have not been
translated into Lao, and are not specifically applied by MRE organizations in
Laos.[53]
UXO Lao community awareness teams visited 495 villages nationwide in 2004,
100 percent of the target set in the annual workplan, and reached 125,341 people
(53,924 children, 71,417 adults).[54 ]In 2004, the UXO Lao workplan targeted 542 villages for community
awareness team visits and further development of a network of village volunteers
in four provinces.[55 ]From January
to March 2005, teams visited 135 villages in nine provinces and recorded 28,747
beneficiaries, 41 percent of them
children.[56 ]
The American NGO Consortium (World Education and World Learning) worked with
UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, Lao Youth Union and Lao Women’s Union
to implement a UXO education curriculum in primary schools in four provinces.
The project expanded in 2003 and again in 2004: from January 2004 to April 2005,
a total of 96,594 students and 2,868 teachers participated in the MRE curriculum
in 65 districts of the eight provinces in 1,015 schools. Consortium utilizes
monthly training and feedback sessions comprising teachers, provincial and
district pedagogical advisors, and Consortium MRE staff, to review curriculum
and develop lesson plans. Participants role-play how they will introduce and
reinforce MRE messages in posters, booklets and other training material used in
the classroom.[57 ]
The UNICEF Sport-in-a-Box project continued in 2004. More than 20,000
children attended sport-linked MRE activities with outreach to approximately
9,000 more children in 92 villages, partially through the efforts of 390 child
volunteers assisting the mobile teams in
2004.[58 ]Expansion of community
safe-play activities reached 15 districts and 123 villages in six provinces,
where village volunteer training occurred and more than 15,740 children took
part in regular weekly safe-play and UXO risk-reduction
activities.[59 ]The project, in
cooperation with the Lao Youth Union, targets children aged six to 18 years,
with emphasis on those out of class and at risk of becoming involved in scrap
metal and explosives collection.[60 ]The project, budgeted at $320,000, was fully funded for 2004 through June
2005.[61]
In April 2005, UNICEF commissioned the Geneva International Centre for
Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) to conduct an evaluation of Sport-in-a-Box and UXO
primary school curriculum projects. Completion and release of the report was
expected by the end of 2005. UNICEF also commissioned GICHD to carry out a
study of the impact of the scrap metal economy on children in early
2005.[62]
Funding and Assistance
Nine donor countries and the European Commission (EC) reported contributing
$8,130,130 to mine action in Laos in 2004, including funds for the UNDP Trust
Fund and other bilateral donations. This represents an increase of over 50
percent from approximately $5.27 million contributed by 10 donor countries and
the EC in 2003.[63 ]Donors in 2004
included:
Belgium: €538,158 ($669,361), consisting of €367,158 ($456,671)
and €36,000 ($44,777) in-kind assistance (two EOD operators), and
€135,000 ($167,913) to UNDP for UXO
Laos;[64]
Canada: C$409,821 ($314,835), consisting of C$200,000 ($153,645) to UNDP for
UXO Lao, C$202,990 ($155,942) for community-based rehabilitation, and C$6,831
($5,248) to UNDP;[65]
EC: €1,013,000 ($1,259,969), consisting of €128,000 ($159,206)
for post-clearance development, €128,000 ($159,206) for UXO clearance in
Khammouane province, €503,000 ($625,632) for UXO clearance and economic
reintegration in Xieng Khouang province, and €254,000 ($315,925) for UXO
clearance and MRE in Kammouane
province;[66]
Finland: €300,000 ($373,140) to UNDP for
demining;[67]
Germany: €455,114 ($566,070), consisting of €291,675 ($362,785)
to PK for UXO and mine clearance in Houaphan and Luang Prabang provinces, and
€163,439 ($203,285) through UNDP for UXO
Lao;[68]
Luxembourg: €162,000 ($201,496) to UNDP Trust Fund for UXO Lao
clearance;[69]
Netherlands: €351,000 ($436,574) though UNDP for UXO Laos
clearance;[70]
New Zealand: NZ$770,000 ($563,685,) consisting of NZ$610,000 ($457,397) to
MAG and NZ$160,000 ($106,288) to UNDP Trust Fund for an
advisor;[71]
UK: £1 million ($1,833,000) to MAG for integrated
demining;[72]
US: $1,912,000, consisting of $1,412,000 from State Department ($724,632 to
NPA and $475,403 to MAG for clearance, and $211,965 to VVAF for technical
assistance), and $500,000 to Consortium through the Leahy War Victims
Fund.[73]
Under the National Strategic Plan, the UNDP Trust Fund and other
international aid will be formally de-linked from UXO Lao, and may be used to
support all sectors including mine risk education and victim
assistance.[74 ]The NSP expects an
annual budget of $3.5 million for clearance through UXO Lao, plus $750,000 for
nationally executed MRE and $700,000 for national victim assistance programs
annually through 2009. An additional $175,000, plus a one-time, start-up cost
of $215,000 in 2004, is budgeted for NRA
operations.[75 ]The government
budgeted a direct annual contribution of $50,000-$60,000, plus substantial
in-kind and indirect support including offices, infrastructure and seconded
government staff.[76 ]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2004, UXO Lao reported at least 194 new
mine/UXO casualties from 90 incidents in nine provinces, including 66 people
killed and 128 injured; 112 casualties (58 percent) were children and 29 were
women. The highest number of incidents (31) and casualties (65) occurred in
Xieng Khouang province, representing an increase in incidents of 24 percent and
in casualties of 63 percent, over
2003.[77 ]The overall number of
casualties represents a significant increase from at least 128 new UXO/mine
casualties (33 people killed and 95 injured) reported in 2003. Activities at
the time of incidents include building a fire over buried ordnance, agricultural
activities, tampering with UXO, and
playing.[78]
Reported casualties have risen sharply again in 2005. From January to 31
July, UXO Lao reported 76 mine/UXO incidents in eight provinces, resulting in
127 casualties (31 people killed and 96 injured), including 12 children killed
and 63 injured.[79 ]
The increase in casualties has been attributed to huge increases in the
scrap metal trade, increasing population pressure and poverty. Given the
progressive rise in casualties during recent years, especially among children,
Laos appears to face a crisis that neither increasing clearance nor mine risk
education efforts are adequate to
address.[80 ]
Mine/UXO casualty data is certain to be under-reported as there is no
comprehensive nationwide data collection mechanism. UXO Lao collects casualty
information only in the provinces and districts where it works. The National
Strategic Plan gives priority to the development of a national database on
mine/UXO incidents, covering all 18 provinces. In June 2004, a feasibility
study on developing a database, provisionally titled the Lao UXO/Mine Victim
Information System (LUMVIS), was
completed.[81 ]One of the
recommendations of the study was the creation of a network of victim liaison
officers (VLO) in all UXO-affected areas, who would operate under a national
coordination unit responsible for the management of the database, quality
control, training and supervision of the VLO, and the analysis and dissemination
of reports to stakeholders.[82 ]Once developed and implemented, the database will likely be integrated
with general disability data, and utilize in part the Lao Disabled
People’s Association matrix, which is already
operational.[83]
The total number of landmine/UXO casualties in Lao PDR is not known.
Between 1999 and 2003, 544 UXO/landmine casualties (161 killed and 383 injured)
were reported. The 1997 Handicap International national survey recorded
detailed interview data for 10,649 casualties (5,495 killed and 5,154 injured)
between 1973 and 1996. The majority of incidents were caused by UXO; however,
landmine casualties were recorded in every province and accounted for 11 percent
of reported incidents.[84]
Survivor Assistance
One mine/UXO survivor participated in the
Survivors Summit and First Review Conference in Nairobi in November-December
2004.
Survivor assistance in Laos is included in the new National Strategic Plan,
and resources from the UNDP Trust Fund will be available for both physical
rehabilitation and socioeconomic integration. The plan states that the specific
needs of survivors and their dependents “will be factored in all national
[and] local public health
initiatives.”[85 ]
Healthcare 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/landmine survivors who generally
live in remote areas and, in particular, for survivors from ethnic groups who do
not speak Lao. However, both the quality and reach of medical care available to
UXO/mine casualties is reportedly improving in some affected provinces. In
2000, around 39 percent of casualties died; by 2003 the rate had dropped to 28
percent, and although it climbed to 34 percent in 2004, the rate is at 27
percent for the period January to March 2005. In Houaphanh and Xieng Khouang
provinces, where Consortium’s War Victims Assistance Project (WVAP) is
active, only 22 percent of casualties died as a result of their injuries in
2003. The rate dropped to 15 and 16 percent for 2004 and early 2005
respectively, in the four provinces where WVAP is currently active. Consortium
staff attributes part of this decline to improving medical facilities. District
and some sub-district health stations possess basic equipment for first aid and
amputations. Casualties requiring more complex surgery, including severe burns
and shrapnel wounds, are referred to provincial and national-level hospitals.
As local capacity grows, fewer survivors are transferred to the central level.
The primary obstacles to adequate care are accessibility and
cost.[86 ]The Friendship Hospital
in Vientiane treated a few new UXO/mine casualties in 2004; exact records are
not maintained on the cause of
injury.[87 ]
The Consortium War Victims Assistance Project, supported by the US Leahy War
Victims Fund and UNICEF, provides medical training, medical equipment, a
management system for revolving drug funds, and renovation of hospital emergency
and surgical areas in Xieng Khouang, Houaphan, Savannakhet and Saravane
provinces. The War Victims Medical Fund, which pays for all medical and
transportation costs incurred by people injured by UXO/landmines, assisted 60
survivors in 2004. The Quality of Life Rehabilitation Fund provides financial
support, such as housing, animals and vocational training. The project has
completed training and upgrading of facilities in four hospitals in Houaphan
province. Consortium transferred the management of its training programs to
local partners at the end of 2004 and plans to expand operations in Saravane
with a general disability project in July 2005, including technical and project
management and health worker first aid
training.[88]
The National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), primarily funded by international
donors, works closely with Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise
(COPE), Consortium, Handicap International, World Concern, the Lao Disabled
People’s Association and other actors in the disability sector. Most
survivor assistance and disability projects are implemented with or through NRC.
In Xieng Khouang, where community-based rehabilitation (CBR) teams operate in 56
villages of four districts, 564 UXO/mine survivors are involved in the
program.[89 ]
COPE, a partnership between the Ministry of Health, POWER, World Vision
Laos, Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO), Association for Aid
and Relief Japan (AAR-Japan), and the Singapore-based Leprosy Mission
International-Southeast Asia, continues to provide support to NRC and four
provincial prosthetic and orthotic centers (PRCs) in Vientiane, Luang Prabang,
Xieng Khouang, Savannakhet and Champassak. Occupational therapy and
physiotherapy mentoring programs were started in 2004 in an effort to enhance
the quality of care available throughout the network of rehabilitation centers,
with the physiotherapy mentors working with CBR teams in the provinces. In
2004, COPE-supported centers assisted 1,490 people, including 468 UXO/landmine
survivors (455 men and 13 women), fitted 607 prostheses and repaired 153, and
distributed 400 wheelchairs and 102 crutches. In 2004, up to 10 percent of
costs were recovered in Vientiane through the cost recovery system, and up to
five percent of costs were recovered from provincial centers. Three Laotian
prosthetic/orthotic technicians graduated from CSPO in 2004. Seven other
candidates have been selected for upgrade training to International Society for
Prosthetics and Orthotics Category II, and another two or three to undertake a
degree in physiotherapy in Chiang Mai,
Thailand.[90 ]
Handicap International’s survivor assistance activities include a
physiotherapy and community-based rehabilitation support program. In 2004 the
project was operational in three districts of Vientiane province and the
capital, serving 59 communities. Through ongoing cooperation with the Vientiane
NRC, in 2005 HI extended its CBR program to serve another 10 communities in a
fourth district after completion of a baseline study. By August 2005, HI
expanded CBR to the province of Savannakhet, initially targeting 30 communities
in the three most affected districts, with the planned addition of three more
districts after completion of the pilot phase. The program provides various
income generating activities including scholarships, vocational training
internships, and micro credit for both individuals and families, and disability
awareness raising activities conducted with the Lao Disabled People’s
Association. An occupational therapy component was also added to the HI
program, which works first with NRC to train teams of trainers before moving
into the province to provide further support for people with disabilities in
terms of mobility adaptation in their day-to-day activities and self-care. One
feature of the project is the development of village level capacity to provide
assistive devices, through carpenters and
tailors.[91]
The objectives of the Lao Disabled People’s Association (LDPA) include
supporting persons with disabilities from all ethnic groups, protecting their
rights and interests, and promoting access to education and employment. LDPA
has over 1,700 members, including 147 UXO/mine survivors and 146 other survivors
of war, in Vientiane and six provincial branches in Luang Prabang, Xieng
Khouang, Sayaboury, Champassak, Sekong and Saravane. Income generation is
reportedly the main concern of most LDPA
members.[92 ]
NRC also developed the Sikeud Vocational School for the Disabled outside
Vientiane. The school is operated by the Thai congregation of the Sisters of
St.Vincent de Paul in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, and has branch
schools in four provinces, Luang Prabang, Khammouane, Savannakhet and
Champassak. The first group of 64 students graduated from three-year courses in
electronics, mechanics, tailoring, administration and English in January 2004,
and another 70 graduated in January 2005; 110 students are currently enrolled in
the school. Twelve graduates now work as trainers in the provincial branch
schools.[93]
Other Lao government-sponsored organizations concerned with disability
issues include the Lao Disabled Women’s Development Center and Lao
Association for Disabled Women and Children. Other international organizations
identified supporting CBR include the Canadian NGO Garneau International in
Xieng Khouang province and World Concern in Saravane province, and AAR-Japan
supports a wheelchair production project at NCR in
Vientiane.[94]
Disability Policy and Practice
Lao PDR has legislation and policies to protect
the rights of persons with disabilities. Responsibility for providing services
to persons with disabilities is divided between the Ministry of Health, which
manages the national and provincial rehabilitation centers, and the Ministry of
Labor and Social Welfare, which oversees the National Commission for Disabled
People.[95 ]
[1 ]See Landmine Monitor Report
2004, pp. 1033-1034, for statements supportive of joining the treaty in 2003
and 2004.
[2 ]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
Human Rights Watch (HRW), Landmine Monitor Ban Policy Coordinator, from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[3 ]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
HRW, from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[4 ]Interview with Khampheng
Duangthongla, UN Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 12 August
2004; email from Mine Action Team, Foreign Affairs Canada, Canada, 23 September
2004. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1034-1035, for additional
details.
[5 ]At the June 2004 workshop, the
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs stated Laos intended to participate in the
First Review Conference. Email from Mine Action Team, Foreign Affairs Canada,
Canada, 23 September 2004.
[6 ]Interview with Kannika
Phammachanh, International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Vientiane, 25 May 2005. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs employs a total
of 34 staff.
[7 ]In February 2004, the Minister
of Labor and Social Welfare (who oversees the national UXO program) told
Landmine Monitor that Laos “will send a delegation to every meeting of
this treaty.” Interview with Somphanh Phengkhammy, Minister of Labor and
Social Welfare, Vientiane, 6 February 2004. Laos has not attended a Meeting of
States Parties since September 2001 or intersessional meetings since January
2002.
[8 ]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
HRW, from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[9 ]Interview with Somphanh
Phengkhammy, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Vientienne, 6 February 2004.
[10 ]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
HRW, from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[11 ]Interview with Foreign
Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 9 February
2004.
[12]Interview with Kannika
Phammachanh, International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Vientiane, 25 May 2005.
[13 ]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
HRW, from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[14 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1035-1036.
[15]Letter to Stephen D. Goose,
HRW, from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vientiane, 19 July 2005.
[16 ]UXO Lao, “UXO Lao Work
Plan 2003,” April 2003, p. 6; Landmine Action UK, Actiongroup Landmine.de
and Mines Action Canada, “Explosive Remnants of War and Mines Other Than
Anti-personnel Mines. Global Survey 2003-2004,” March 2005, p. 104. See
also Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 630.
[17]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1036-1037.
[18 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1036-1037; “Explosive Remnants of War and Mines Other
Than Anti-personnel Mines. Global Survey 2003-2004,” March 2005, pp.
104-107.
[19 ]Interview with Michael
Peyra, Director, Consortium, Vientiane, 24 May 2005. The provinces where new
foundry operations began in 2004 were Xieng Khouang, Khammouane and
Savannakhet.
[20]Interviews with Wanthong
Khamdala, Deputy National Program Director, and Bounpheng Sisavath, Chief of
Public Information Unit, UXO Lao, 20 May 2005; Michael Peyra, Director,
Consortium, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Kirsten Lentz, CBR Program Coordinator,
Handicap International (HI), Vientiane, 28 May 2005; Amy Delneuville, Assistant
Project Officer, Child Protection Section, UNICEF, Vientiane, 27 May 2005; UXO
Lao, “UXO Lao Work Plan 2003,” April 2003, p. 6. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 630, and Landmine Monitor 2004,
p. 1036.
[21 ]Interview with Olivier
Bauduin, Financial Advisor, NPA-UXO Lao; interview with Eric Gagnon, Chief
Technical Advisor, UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 25 May 2005.
[22 ]Email from Eric Gagnon,
Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP-UXO Lao, 29 August 2005. The Deputy Prime
Minister is also the Chairman of the Board for the National Regulatory
Authority. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1038-1039.
[23]Interviews with Laoli
Phaipheuzongtoa, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Vientiane,
20 May 2005; Joseph Wenkoff, UNDP-NRA, Vientiane, 27 May 2005; Leonard Kaminski,
EOD Technical Advisor, NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Luc Delneuville,
Country Director, HI, Vientiane, 26 May 2005; Tony Allen, Program Manager, FSD,
Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[24 ]“National Poverty
Eradication Program,” Eighth Round Table Meeting, Vientiane, 4-5 September
2003, pp. 9, 22, 34-35, 84, 127, 130.
[25 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1038-1039.
[26]Interviews with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 25 May 2005; Leonard Kaminski, EOD Technical Advisor,
NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Luc Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26 May
2005; Yvon Le Chevanton, Senior EOD Technical Advisor, HI, 26 May 2005.
[27 ]“Resolutions of the
Lao PDR Government on National Strategic Plan,” Lao PDR Government 2004,
pp. 3, 6.
[28 ]UXO Lao, DRAFT “Work
Plan 2005,” p.1; data provided by Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao, 20 May
2005.
[29 ]Interviews with Wanthong
Khamdala, Deputy National Program Director, and Bounpheng Sisavath, Chief of
Public Information Unit, UXO Lao, 20 May 2005. Data on surveys conducted by UXO
Lao was not available for 2004, though it was available for January-March
2005.
[30 ]Interviews with Luc
Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26 May 2005; Joseph Wenkoff, UNDP-NRA, Vientiane, 27
May 2005; Eric Gagnon, UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 25 May 2005; Leonard Kaminski,
NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Mariko Harada, UXO Program Analyst, UNDP,
Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[31 ]Data provided by Bounpheng
Sisavath, Chief of Public Information Unit, UXO Lao, 20 May 2005; UXO Lao,
“UXO Lao Programme Progress Report 2004 (DRAFT),” p. 1. This
includes clearance data for UXO Lao's implementing partner, Potsdam
Kommunication/Gerbera.
[32 ]Data provided by Bounpheng
Sisavath, UXO Lao, 20 May 2005; UXO Lao, “UXO Lao Programme Progress
Report 2004 (DRAFT),” p. 1.
[33 ]Interview
with Bounpone Sayasenh, National Program Director, UXO Lao, 10 February 2004.
The 24th team was not needed in the area where it was formerly operational.
[34 ]Interviews with Wanthong
Khamdala, Deputy National Program Director, and Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao,
Vientiane 20 May 2005; Eric Gagnon, UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 23 May 2005.
[35 ]Interviews with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 23 May 2005; Joseph Wenkoff, UNDP-NRA, Vientiane, 27
May 2005; Leonard Kaminski, NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Luc
Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26 May 2005.
[36 ]Data provided by Bounpheng
Sisavath, UXO Lao, 20 May 2005.
[37 ]UXO Lao, “Work Plan
2005,” p. 1.
[38 ]Email from Tim Carstairs,
Director of Policy, MAG, 12 September 2005.
[39 ]Interview
with Jo Durham, Country Program Manager, and John Wallace, Head of International
Partnerships, MAG, Vientiane, 27 May 2005. The Plain of Jars clearance project
was funded by NZAID. Email from Tim Carstairs, Director of Policy, MAG, 26
September 2005. For previous MAG activities in Laos, see Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 1040.
[40 ]Interview with Siegfried
Block, former Lao PDR Program Manager, PK, during Assessment of 10-Year
International Cooperation on Reversing Legacy of War-Development Orientation
Workshop, Dong Ha, Quang Tri, 22-23 August 2005.
[41 ]Interview with Wanthong
Khamdala and Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 20 May 2005.
[42 ]Interview with Siegfried
Block, Gerbera, Vientiane, 5 February 2004.
[43 ]Email from Yvon Le
Chevanton, HI, 23 May 2005; interview with Luc Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26
May 2005.
[44]Email from Yvon Le
Chevanton, HI, 23 May 2005, and interview 26 May 2005.
[45 ]Interviews with Pascal
Rigaldies, Financial Advisor, NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 10 February 2004; Olivier
Bauduin, NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Leonard Kaminski, NPA-UXO Lao,
Vientiane, 24 May 2005.
[46]Interview with Leonard
Kaminski, NPA-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 24 May 2005.
[47 ]Interview with Eric Gagnon,
UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 25 May 2005, and email 5 April 2004.
[48 ]Interview with Paul
McGuiness, Manager, Milsearch-BPKP, Vientiane, 23 May 2005.
[49 ]Email from Des Fuller,
Manager, MineTech, 30 August 2005.
[50 ]Interview with Siegfried
Block, Gerbera, 5 February 2004.
[51 ]Interviews with Lao and
foreign officials and demining experts, Vientiane, February 2004.
[52 ]Interview with Tony Allen,
Program Manager, FSD, Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[53]Information provided via
email by Khamsay Iemsouthi, Officer-in-Charge, Child Protection Section, UNICEF,
4 August 2005.
[54 ]Statistics provided by
Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 20 May 2005; UXO Lao, draft “UXO
Lao Program Progress Report 2004,” p. 1. For discussion of community
awareness, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1042.
[55 ]UXO Lao, “Work Plan
2004,” p. 16.
[56 ]Statistics provided by
Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 20 May 2005; UXO Lao, draft “UXO
Lao Program Progress Report 2004,” p. 1.
[57 ]Interview with Arthur
Crisfield, Consortium, Vientiane, 23 May 2005.
[58 ]Interview with Amy
Delneuville, UNICEF, Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[59 ]Email from Amy Delneuville,
UNICEF, Vientiane, 6 July 2005.
[60 ]UNMAS, “Portfolio of
Mine Action Projects 2004,” p. 242; interview with Amy Delneuville,
UNICEF, Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[61]Information provided via
email by Amy Delneuville, UNICEF, Vientiane, 6 July 2005.
[62]Interview with Amy
Delneuville, UNICEF, Vientiane, 27 May 2005.
[63 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 1043.
[64]Article 7 Report, Form J, 2
May 2005.
[65]Mine Action Investments
database; emails from Elvan Isikozlu, Mine Action Team, Foreign Affairs Canada,
June-August 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: US$1 = C$1.3017. US Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[66]EC, “Contribution to
the Landmine Monitor 2005,” by email from Nicola Marcel, RELEX Unit 3a
Security Policy, EC, 19 July 2005. Average exchange rate for 2004: €1 =
$1.2438. US Federal Reserve, used throughout this report. “List of
Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[67]Mine Action Investments
database; email from Teemu Sepponen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 July
2005.
[68]Article 7 Report, Form J, 15
April 2005; email from Dirk Roland Haupt, Federal Foreign Office, Division 241,
25 July 2005.
[69]Email from Francois Berg,
Disarmament Desk, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 August 2005.
[70]Email from Freek Keppels,
Arms Control and Arms Export Policy Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4
August 2005.
[71]Email from Jane Coster,
NZAID, 11 August 2005; letter from Charlotte Darlow, Disarmament Division,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 20 April 2005. New Zealand’s
funding to MAG was contributed in US$.
[72]Email from Andrew Willson,
Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs Department, Department for International
Development, 1 July 2005; email to Landmine Monitor from Debbie Clements,
Directorate of Joint Commitments, Ministry of Defence, 10 August 2005. Average
exchange rate for 2004: £1 = $1.83. US Federal Reserve, “List of
Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[73]USG Historical Chart
containing data for FY 2004, by email from Angela L. Jeffries, Financial
Management Specialist, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US Department of
State, 20 July 2005; email from H. Murphey McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor,
Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State, 27 September
2005.
[74 ]UXO Lao, “National
Strategic Plan, The Safe Path Forward: 2003-2013,” p. 3. For details of
the UNDP Trust Find, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1043-1044.
[75 ]UXO Lao, “National
Strategic Plan, The Safe Path Forward: 2003-2013,” p. 8.
[76 ]Interview with Somphanh
Phengkhammy, Minister of Labor, 6 February 2004.
[77 ]Statistics provided by
Bounpheng Sisavath, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 20 May 2005.
[78]For more details, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1045.
[79 ]Information provided in
email from Eric Gagnon, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP-UXO Lao, 22 August
2005.
[80 ]Interviews with Michael
Peyra, Consortium, Vientiane, 24 May 2005; Luc Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26
May 2005; Eric Gagnon, UNDP-UXO Lao, Vientiane, 25 May 2005; Amy Delneuville,
UNICEF, Vientiane, 27 May 2005; Tony Allen, FSD, Vientiane, 27 May 2005; see
also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1045. The interviewees expressed
varied levels of frustration and concern about the rise in UXO casualties and
the apparent, though anecdotal, links to the scrap metal trade, which due to its
involvement with illegal activity (transportation and possession of explosives)
is very secretive, presents an extremely difficult situation to resolve, and for
which there is currently no significant economic replacement.
[81 ]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 1045.
[82 ]Email from Yvon Le
Chevanton, HI, 23 May 2005.
[83]Interviews with Joseph
Wenkoff, UNDP-NRA, Vientiane, 27 May 2005; Luc Delneuville, HI, Vientiane, 26
May 2005; Laoli Phaipheuzongtoa, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare,
Vientiane, 20 May 2005.
[84]For details see Landmine
Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1045-1046.
[85 ]“National Strategic
Plan: 2003-2013,” p. 2; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p.
1046.
[86 ]Data provided by Bounpheng
Sisavath, UXO Lao, Vientiane, 20 May 2005; interview with Barbara Lewis,
Consortium War Victims Assistance Project (WVAP), Vientiane, 24 May 2005. The
four provinces are Xieng Khouang, Huaphanh, Savannakhet and Saravane. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1046.
[87 ]Interview with Eksavang
Vongvichit, Friendship Hospital, Vientiane, 20 May 2005.
[88]Interview with Barbara
Lewis, Consortium WVAP, Vientiane, 24 May 2005. See also Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, pp. 1046-1047; Standing Tall Australia and Mines Action Canada,
“101 Great Ideas for the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine
Survivors,” June 2005, p. 52.
[89 ]Interview with Thonglith
Sihabandith, National Rehabilitation Center (NRC), Vientiane, 26 May 2005;
information provided by Souphan Inthirat, NRC, Vientiane, 26 May 2005.
[90 ]Interviews with Michael
Boddington, COPE, Vientiane, 26 May 2005; Theptheva Phetsavan and Ruth Baker,
COPE, Vientiane, 23 May 2005; data provided by COPE, 23 May 2005. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1047; “101 Great Ideas for the
Socio-Economic Reintegration of Mine Survivors,” June 2005, p. 53.
[91]Email from Kirsten Lentz,
CBR Program Coordinator, HI, 1 September 2005, and interview 28 May 2005; see
also Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1047-1048.
[92 ]Data provided by Michael
Boddington, COPE, Vientiane, 28 May 2005; see also Landmine Monitor Report
2004, p. 1048.
[93]Interview with Thonglith
Sihabandith, NRC, Vientiane, 26 May 2005; information provided by Souphan
Inthirat, NRC, Vientiane, 26 May 2005; for more information, see also
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1048.
[94]See Landmine Monitor
Report 2004, p. 1048; see also “101 Great Ideas for the Socio-Economic
Reintegration of Mine Survivors,” June 2005, p. 51.
[95 ]For more information, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 1048-1049.
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