Aussie Donors Grant De-mining Equipment to Vietnam Provinces

Australian donors have provided the Peace Trees Vietnam (PTVN) non-government organization (NGO) with equipment to demine landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) in Vietnam’s central provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Binh. The donated equipment, including 19 de-mining aprons and two trauma kits valued at $60,000 will be used by PTVN’s Exploded Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams working in the localities. “The equipment is very important for us to clear war-time landmines and unexploded ordinance (UXO) in the provinces,” said PTVN's country-representative Le Dinh Quang. Founded in Vietnam in 1995, the U.S.-based NGO has found more than 100,000 pieces of UXO and cleared 163ha of contaminated land. Over 65,000 people, including 17,500 children, have received landmines awareness education at PTVN’s Danaan Parry Landmine Education Centre in Quang Tri’s Dong Ha town. The U.S. government has pledged to fund $3.5 million for defusing bombs, and landmines left from the war in Vietnam this year, the U.S. embassy said. (VietnamNet April 16)