[Ngo-lwg] Prof. You Kang: The deadly, horrible mess we made still plagues Indochina

Chuck Searcy chuckusvn at gmail.com
Mon Apr 6 07:46:03 BST 2015


Merced Sun-Star
<http://www.mercedsunstar.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article17237654.html>
04/04/2015


The deadly, horrible mess we made still

plagues Indochina

BY KOU YANG

April 30, 2015, marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
As we reflect on the legacies of the Vietnam War, two of the most deadly
weapons of war left behind - Agent Orange and unexploded ordnance, called
UXO - continue to haunt Indochina.

April 30, 1975, was the day Saigon was taken over by the Viet Cong,
following the departure of the United States.

During the war, the U.S. military
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_armed_forces> had used the
powerful herbicide and defoliant Agent Orange to
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defoliant> spray along the Ho Chi Minh trails
in Laos and South Vietnam. Its purpose was to clear away jungle and
eliminate Viet Cong hideouts, disrupting the movement of soldiers and
food supplies.
Years after the war, the people along the trail continue to suffer
healthmaladies
and dire consequences, including dioxin poisoning. The Vietnamese
government says that dioxin levels remain 100 times higher than the
international standards in some of these areas.

The Vietnamese government estimates that there are over 4 million victims
of dioxin poisoning, "although the United States government denies any
conclusive scientific links between Agent Orange and the Vietnamese victims
of dioxin poisoning."

The Vietnamese Red Cross estimated Agent Orange has affected 3 million
people spanning three generations, including at least 150,000 children born
with severe birth defects since the war ended.

In August 2012, the U.S. pledged $43 million to fund a joint project with
Vietnam to clean up contaminated areas. Though areas of Agent Orange
contamination include part of the Ho Chi Minh trail in southern Laos, the
joint project between the U.S. and Vietnam does not include Laos. Moreover,
the project is only the first small step, as more funds and technical
assistance are needed to slowly clean contaminated areas.

It will take generations and billions of dollars to clean the contaminated
regions. The willingness and commitment of the United States government to
fund this project by providing assistance to victims of Agent Orange and
removing UXO is long overdue. Hopefully the U.S. government will provide
more funding to clear UXO in Laos and Cambodia as well.

Unexploded ordnances remain one of many major issues in Laos. Legacy of War
<http://legaciesofwar.org/>, a nonprofit organization based in New York,
said the U.S. Air Force carried out 580,000 bombing missions against the
country during the "U.S. led-Secret War from 1962-1975." That breaks down
to about one planeload of bombs dropped every eight minutes, 24 hours a
day, for nine years.

According to experts, the U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of bombs in
Laos, more than all of the bombs dropped during World War II. Among them
were 80 million cluster bombs. Ten percent to 30 percent of those did not
explode, according to Legacy of War.

Unexploded ordnances do not discriminate between soldiers, civilians,
children or animals. Bomblets are hidden underground, waiting for someone
to step on them or dig into them. When they do, an explosion ensues. Many
people have died, and many more are severely injured. Many are children who
were born long after the war.

Last year the U.S. government said it would spend $12 million in 2014
through the Foreign Operations Budget for UXO clearance, victim assistance,
food and education in Laos. Since the end of the war in Laos, the U.S. has
provided a total of $74 million - including the $12 million in 2014 - for
UXO activities. Of the total, $32 million, or 40 percent, has been
allocated in the last five years. Though these funds are encouraging, more
assistance from international nongovernmental organizations and governments
is needed to help clear these bombs from Laos.

Though the war ended four decades ago, the deadly human toll from UXO and
health impacts from Agent Orange will last well into the future. It is
imperative the U.S. government and the other nations that provided these
deadly weapons - including China and Russia - live up to their moral
obligations and responsibilities to clean up their own weapons. They must
do this in the spirit of humanity.

In spite of all these efforts, nothing can be compared to the injustice and
misery the people of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have suffered as they
continue to seek healing and reconciliation.

Yang is professor Emeritus of California State University, Stanislaus.





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