We left Thailand without any trouble from the redshirts (protesters who have shut down airports in the past). We took a domestic flight from Bangkok to Udon Thani, a town in north-eastern Thailand. From there we took a short bus to the Friendship Bridge (a bridge on the Laos/Thai border) and then another short bus to Vientiane, the Laos capitol. The flights were much cheaper this way than flying direct to Vientiane. I heard this is the way the locals do it. It was fairly painless, with people willing to “help” at every stop of the way.
The photo above was taken about 20-30km south of Vientiane on a motorbike ride we took to nowhere. It was supposed to go somewhere, but we never found out where. I’m not sure what type of field it is. Most fields were rice, but I’m not sure what that one was.
Laos is very much a developing country. If you get hurt in Laos there are no ambulances, and good luck finding a hospital. Even if you do find a hospital, most recommend flying to Bangkok for anything more than trivial attention. Danger seems to be a way of life in Laos.
We arrived in Laos a few days after International Bomb Awareness Day. Below is an article I have transcribed from the Vientiane Times, Laos’ only English newspaper. I think it gives good perspective and insight into the country:
30 years on, UXO remains a silent killer This story is written on the occasion of International Bomb Awareness Day on April 7
Important global bodies such as the UNDP recognize that Laos is the country most affected by cluster munitions and unexploded ordinance (UXO).
For 30 years the Lao people have suffered from the remnants of war that lie buried in the ground. These devices injure or kill about 300 people each year.
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Onechanh Thammavong said in a book entitled 2008 Work Plan, “Lao people continue to be maimed and killed by UXO, averaging about 300 people a year. UXO hinders national economic development even though the fighting ended more than 30 years ago.”
In his address on International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action last year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said millions of people in nearly 80 countries still lived in fear of landmines and the explosive remnants of war. These devices continued to claim 15,000 new victims each year, taking an unacceptable toll on lives and limbs. They wreaked havoc on people’s livelihoods and blocked access to land, roads and basic services.
Laos is classified by the United Nations as one of the world’s least developed countries. It is a landlocked country bordered by Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.
According to the National Statistics Centre, the population of Laos is now about 6 million, with 90 percent of people living in rural areas. Just under half of the population does not have access to clean water sources. 30 percent of people over the age of 15 are illiterate and the average life expectancy is 63 years. The largest sector in the national economy is agriculture.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith said during a general debate at a conference held last year in Oslo, Norway, to sign the Oslo Convention on cluster munitions, that more than 87,000 sq km of land, or 37 percent of the total surface area was contaminated, of which over 12,000 sq km are considered as highly affected.
From 1964 to 1973 more than 580,000 US bombing missions were carried out over the country, dropping over 2 million tonnes of bombs. According to a book titled Hazardous Ground Cluster Munitions and UXO in the Lao PDR, more than 270 million bombs were dropped over Laos during the nine years of the Indochina War.
With an average failure rate of 30 percent, it is estimated that as many as 80 million of them failed to explode, and today still remain scattered throughout the country. Over 4 million large bombs were dropped and extensive ground battles in some provinces left behind substantial amounts of other UXO, including mortars, artillery shells, landmines and grenades.
Dr Thongloun said an ongoing nationwide survey in 7,000 of a total of 10,000 villages begun in January of 2008, documented 37,000 reports of casualties up until the end of September 2008. The survey revealed an average of up to 300 UXO-related accidents a year over the past decade. It is estimated that once the survey is completed, there will have been about 50,000 casualties.
The Lao National Unexploded Ordinance Program (UXO Lao) was set up in 1996 with the support of UNDP, UNICEF and other partners. UXO Lao works in the nine most affected provinces of the country = Attapeu, Champassak, Xekong, Saravan, Savannakhet, Khammuan, Xieng Khuang, Luang Prabang and Huaphan.
Savannakhet is the most affected province because it was the focal point during the Indochina War. Significant land battles took place in addition to action due to the proximity of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. According to a report from UXO Lao, since beginning operations the programme has reached more than 1.7 million people through over 7,000 visits to affected villages.
During these visits staff have educated local people about the dangers of UXO and how they can protect themselves; cleared more than 13,700 hectares of land; performed over 16,000 roving tasks; and cleared more than 840,000 items of UXO including some 395,000 bombs. From 1996 to 2007, many international organizations and countries provided funding for UXO Laos and the National Regulatory Authority.
These organizations and countries include Australia, European Commission, Humpty Dumpty Institute, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA, UNICEF, UNDP, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Democratic Republic of Korea, and Sweden. In 2008, Japan, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, UNDP and Australia contributed to UXO Lao and the National Regulatory Authority, according to the book Hazardous Ground Cluster Munitions and UXO in the Lao PDR.
VERY interesting. Thank you for taking the time to post it all! Somehow, the cows look like how I might have envisioned Laos (once upon a time when I actually remembered about Laos). (That sounds like I’m faking, but I mean it. Maybe I’ve seen similar photos? I really like yours/this one–it conveys not only “information” but also a mood/sense of the place.) XOXOX
5 Comments »
Comment by dadman — April 21, 2009 @ 1:11 am
Nice cows!! What kind of field is that they are in?
Comment by josh — April 21, 2009 @ 1:26 am
We left Thailand without any trouble from the redshirts (protesters who have shut down airports in the past). We took a domestic flight from Bangkok to Udon Thani, a town in north-eastern Thailand. From there we took a short bus to the Friendship Bridge (a bridge on the Laos/Thai border) and then another short bus to Vientiane, the Laos capitol. The flights were much cheaper this way than flying direct to Vientiane. I heard this is the way the locals do it. It was fairly painless, with people willing to “help” at every stop of the way.
Comment by josh — April 21, 2009 @ 1:29 am
The photo above was taken about 20-30km south of Vientiane on a motorbike ride we took to nowhere. It was supposed to go somewhere, but we never found out where. I’m not sure what type of field it is. Most fields were rice, but I’m not sure what that one was.
Comment by josh — April 21, 2009 @ 2:06 am
Laos is very much a developing country. If you get hurt in Laos there are no ambulances, and good luck finding a hospital. Even if you do find a hospital, most recommend flying to Bangkok for anything more than trivial attention. Danger seems to be a way of life in Laos.
We arrived in Laos a few days after International Bomb Awareness Day. Below is an article I have transcribed from the Vientiane Times, Laos’ only English newspaper. I think it gives good perspective and insight into the country:
30 years on, UXO remains a silent killer
This story is written on the occasion of International Bomb Awareness Day on April 7
Important global bodies such as the UNDP recognize that Laos is the country most affected by cluster munitions and unexploded ordinance (UXO).
For 30 years the Lao people have suffered from the remnants of war that lie buried in the ground. These devices injure or kill about 300 people each year.
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Onechanh Thammavong said in a book entitled 2008 Work Plan, “Lao people continue to be maimed and killed by UXO, averaging about 300 people a year. UXO hinders national economic development even though the fighting ended more than 30 years ago.”
In his address on International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action last year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said millions of people in nearly 80 countries still lived in fear of landmines and the explosive remnants of war. These devices continued to claim 15,000 new victims each year, taking an unacceptable toll on lives and limbs. They wreaked havoc on people’s livelihoods and blocked access to land, roads and basic services.
Laos is classified by the United Nations as one of the world’s least developed countries. It is a landlocked country bordered by Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.
According to the National Statistics Centre, the population of Laos is now about 6 million, with 90 percent of people living in rural areas. Just under half of the population does not have access to clean water sources. 30 percent of people over the age of 15 are illiterate and the average life expectancy is 63 years. The largest sector in the national economy is agriculture.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith said during a general debate at a conference held last year in Oslo, Norway, to sign the Oslo Convention on cluster munitions, that more than 87,000 sq km of land, or 37 percent of the total surface area was contaminated, of which over 12,000 sq km are considered as highly affected.
From 1964 to 1973 more than 580,000 US bombing missions were carried out over the country, dropping over 2 million tonnes of bombs. According to a book titled Hazardous Ground Cluster Munitions and UXO in the Lao PDR, more than 270 million bombs were dropped over Laos during the nine years of the Indochina War.
With an average failure rate of 30 percent, it is estimated that as many as 80 million of them failed to explode, and today still remain scattered throughout the country. Over 4 million large bombs were dropped and extensive ground battles in some provinces left behind substantial amounts of other UXO, including mortars, artillery shells, landmines and grenades.
Dr Thongloun said an ongoing nationwide survey in 7,000 of a total of 10,000 villages begun in January of 2008, documented 37,000 reports of casualties up until the end of September 2008. The survey revealed an average of up to 300 UXO-related accidents a year over the past decade. It is estimated that once the survey is completed, there will have been about 50,000 casualties.
The Lao National Unexploded Ordinance Program (UXO Lao) was set up in 1996 with the support of UNDP, UNICEF and other partners. UXO Lao works in the nine most affected provinces of the country = Attapeu, Champassak, Xekong, Saravan, Savannakhet, Khammuan, Xieng Khuang, Luang Prabang and Huaphan.
Savannakhet is the most affected province because it was the focal point during the Indochina War. Significant land battles took place in addition to action due to the proximity of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. According to a report from UXO Lao, since beginning operations the programme has reached more than 1.7 million people through over 7,000 visits to affected villages.
During these visits staff have educated local people about the dangers of UXO and how they can protect themselves; cleared more than 13,700 hectares of land; performed over 16,000 roving tasks; and cleared more than 840,000 items of UXO including some 395,000 bombs. From 1996 to 2007, many international organizations and countries provided funding for UXO Laos and the National Regulatory Authority.
These organizations and countries include Australia, European Commission, Humpty Dumpty Institute, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA, UNICEF, UNDP, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Democratic Republic of Korea, and Sweden. In 2008, Japan, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, UNDP and Australia contributed to UXO Lao and the National Regulatory Authority, according to the book Hazardous Ground Cluster Munitions and UXO in the Lao PDR.
Comment by Peg — April 22, 2009 @ 7:16 am
VERY interesting. Thank you for taking the time to post it all! Somehow, the cows look like how I might have envisioned Laos (once upon a time when I actually remembered about Laos). (That sounds like I’m faking, but I mean it.
Maybe I’ve seen similar photos? I really like yours/this one–it conveys not only “information” but also a mood/sense of the place.) XOXOX
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