Russian Ambassador Vladimir Kalinin.

Russia gives backing to UXO clearance

A unit from the International Mine Action Centre of the Russian Armed Forces last month teamed up with a unit from the Engineering Corps of the Lao People’s Army for the 7th stage of UXO clearance operations in Huaphan province.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Lao PDR, Mr Vladimir Kalinin, said Russian bomb disposal specialists resumed UXO clearance operations in 2018 and since then have carried out operations on a yearly basis.
The burden of the past of the so-called “secret war”, when Huaphan province became the cradle of the Lao revolution, remains one of the main hindrances to socio-economic development in Laos.
These days a number of donor countries provide mainly financial support to Laos for UXO clearance operations through NGOs.
Russia, however, following an agreement with Laos’ Ministry of National Defence, regularly provides experienced sappers and field engineers from the International Mine Action Centre of the Russian Armed Forces who, risking their lives, conduct on-site demining using modern equipment and share their experience with Lao partners.
Over the previous six stages of UXO clearance, 3,500 explosive objects were extracted and deactivated across 190 hectares of land.
Russian specialists also share their experiences with their Lao counterparts and 136 demining specialists from the Engineering Corps of the Lao People’s Army have received training from the Russian army’s International Mine Action Centre.
The Lao leadership has expressed gratitude for Russia’s invaluable support for UXO clearance, which frees up land for the cultivation of rice, cassava and other crops and improves the quality of life of local communities.
According to the International Mine Action Centre, UXO operations by Russian specialists will continue in order to free the whole of Laos from the dangers of the Indochina War.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update December 5, 2024)