Foreign Military Attaches Affirm to Help Vietnam Solve Bomb Consequences

Foreign military attaches will call on foreign governments and international organizations to continue supporting Vietnam in clear postwar bombs, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), Colonel Didier Oustric, French military attache, affirmed. Oustric made the statement at the a working session in Hanoi on April 26 between the delegation of foreign military attaches and the Sapper Service under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense to introduce the country’s program to remove the UXO left by wars. At the event, Colonel Phan Duc Tuan, Deputy Commander of the Sapper Service said around 66,000 sq.km or 22.12% of the country’s total land area in all 63 provinces and cities remain polluted with landmines and UXO. Tuan added that roughly 800,000 tons of landmines and UXO are still left over from the war, mainly in the six central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Ngai. He also suggested the military attaches provide Vietnam with equipment and technology and train experts and technicians serving the bomb and mine clearance. More than 100,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines and UXO over the past 37 years. The government spends tens of millions of U.S. dollars on dealing with the issues. Over the past years, the government has paid much attention to overcoming the consequences. With great support from the international community, it has provided significant assistance for victims and helped them reintegrate into society. Vietnam needs more than $10 billion and over 100 years to clear up all war-time bombs and mines, the center estimated. (vov.vn April 26, Tuoi Tre – Youth April 26)