U.S. Grants $500,000 to Help Vietnam UXO Victims

The U.S. government has handed over $500,000 to the non-profit organization Clear Path International (CPI) to help victims of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war in Vietnam. The funding will help CPI expand its operations and UXO victim assistance initiatives in the Southeast Asian country, said CPI Executive Director Kiman Lucas. The war in Vietnam saw the U.S. drop more bombs on the Southeast Asian country than the total ordnance deployed during the first and second world wars. It is estimated that as many as 30% of the bombs remain unexploded in Vietnam, equivalent to 800,000 tons. UXO’s have killed and maimed thousands of people and greatly hindered economic development. Around 40% of the UXO victims are children aged less than 16. In 2012, 500 people in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia were injured by UXO. Operating in Vietnam since 2000, the U.S. organization also runs programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos and along the border of Thai and Myanmar. Last year, the U.S. funded over $4 million for bomb and mine clearance programs in Vietnam. (vietnamplus.vn Aug 17)