Posted by Damos on November 9, 2006, at 16:34:05
For some reason I subscribe to the UNIDIR (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) publication The Disarmament Forum and this means that occasionally I receive 'special' reports. What follows is are exerpts from "Cluster Munitions in Albania and Lao PDR - The Humanitarian and Socio-Economic Impact"
CLUSTER MUNITIONS IN THE LAO PRD (Anthea Lawson)
"The Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has the dubious distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in the world. Not only did Lao civilians suffer indiscriminate attacks during the second Indo-China war, but they are still suffering 30 years after the end of the conflict.
US military records show that between 1964 and 1973, US planes flew more than 558,000 sorties, dropping more than 2 million tons of ordinance on the country. This is roughly equivalent to a full B-52 load of ordinance, every 8 minutes, for 9 years."
"The north-east of the country in particular was also used as a free-drop zone - plane which had taken off from bases in Thailand and had been unable to deliver their bombs as intended would drop their ordinance over the Lao PDR on the way back. Twenty percent of villages in the country reported intense aerial bombardment, with 8% being bombed more than 50 times during the course of the war. (that's about once every 9 weeks)
Cluster munitions featured heavily among the ordinance dropped, although many other types of unexploded ordinance (UXO) have been and continue to be found. More than 80 million submunitions - bomblets, or "bombies" as they are know locally - were dropped, with an estimated failure rate between 10 and 30%, leaving between 8 and 25 million unexploded submunitions. It has been suggested that 80% of casualties at that time were civilian."
"The 1997 baseline survey found that 984 villages reported UXO contamination in the centre of the village, and 2,375 villages reported contamination along paths or roads near the village."
"Of the cluster munition casualties from 1999 to August 2005, children represent 57% of the injuries and 50% of the deaths."
"11% were playing with the UXO, 22% were engaged in agriculture, 12% were engaged in domestic activites, 14% were collecting forest products, 17% were engaged in other activities. "
"Cluster munitions as a specific weapons category are not being dealt with politically at the international level.."
"Cluster munitions have been used in combat in at least 21 countries. Thirty-four countries are known to produce them and at least 73 countries stockpile them. Worldwide, stockpiled submunitions number in the billions."
And don't even get me started on the fact that there are an estimated 70 million landmines scattered in 90 countries causing an estimated 19,000 deaths or injuries to civilians every year. 1/3 being children.
Or research that shows that the children of Australian Vietnam veterans have a suicide 3 times that of the general community. Or the effects of Agent Orange or even 'Gulf War Syndrome'.
If you want to depress yourself even more you could read the Medact reports "Continuing Collateral Damage - the health and environmental costs of the war on Iraq 2003" and "Enduring Effects of War - health in Iraq 2004".
The war doesn't end when someone declares themself the victor, or even when all the troops go home.
I am so angry, so sad so heartbreakingly sad and appalled. I despair.
poster:Damos
thread:702096
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20061009/msgs/702096.html