Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars are well known tourist stops in Laos. However, the area was heavily bombed by the US in conjunction with Vietnam and still suffers heavily today as a result. While there, it is worth taking some time to explore the relics of war and discover the fine work done by the mine clearing charities.
Some people are unlucky and find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it can happen to countries too. Little landlocked Laos, sandwiched between China to the north, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west, is a case in point.
A disparate land of kingdoms and tribes, it came under French rule in the late 19th century. It was never a profitable colony and was occupied by the Japanese in World War 2. The French regained control after the war and finally granted independence in November 1953.
The nationalistic Pathet Lao had formed in 1950, inspired by the neighbouring communist North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Viet Cong. It opposed the US backed government and constitutional monarchy in Laos. Early government sharing foundered and civil war simmered. The Hmong hill tribes joined the struggle against the Pathet Lao.
When war broke out in Vietnam in 1963, the NVA developed the Ho Chi Minh trail in eastern Laos to supply the Viet Cong in the south against the South Vietnamese army and US forces. Although officially neutral, all hell broke loose and the war spilt over into Laos.
The Secret War
Initially responding to an insurgent attack, the US carried out the first bombing in eastern Laos on 9th June 1964. Operation Barrel Roll and Tiger Hound followed as the US targeted Phatet Lao and NVA bases, only ceasing in February 1973.
And here it all gets really scary as the bombing in Laos descends into a series of horrifying statistics.
More munitions were dropped than in all of World War 2, some one tonne per capita of the 2 million population, making it the most heavily bombed nation on earth. 580,344 missions were flown, mostly from Thailand. Sometimes the pilots just jettisoned bombs they had not dropped in Vietnam, to avoid a dangerous landing. 2 million tonnes of ordnance were dropped,equivalent to a bomb load every 8 minutes for 9 years. 4 million big bombs and 288 million cluster bombs fell; it is estimated that 10 % of big bombs and up to 80 million of the latter failed to explode.
This may sound a good thing but 50 years down the line the consequences are still being felt and as in war, as in peace, with the civilian population bearing the brunt. The cluster bombs consisted of a large bomb case which opened to disperse small bomblets or ‘bombies’ over a large area. They look quite cute actually, about the size and shape of a tennis ball and often painted yellow. They are hard to find but when they do, children in particular find them fascinating, often with lethal consequences.
Since 1964, it is estimated that there have been 50,000 incidents with unexploded bombs, 29,000 of those having been killed and 21,000 injured, 40% of these figures being children. These days there are about 50 incidents a year and there are extensive education programes in the local schools. However, the UXO (unexploded ordnance) also renders agricultural land dangerous to cultivate, road and school building difficult and impedes economic development.
And the outcome of 9 years of ceaseless bombing? When operations ceased in 1973, the Phatet Lao emerged from their caves, shook themselves off and regrouped. They massacred a quarter of the Hmong population in retaliation (another 100,000 ended up in the US) and muscled in on government. By December 1975, they had taken over completely and the king was sent off on a re-education seminar, never to be seen again.
They are still in power today with their political arm, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. This is surely the ultimate demonstration that one is never going to get rid of a dissident group purely by bombing them. Oh, and America lost the war in Vietnam too.
UXO in Phonsvan
Obama became the first American president to visit Laos in September 2016. He didn’t apologize but he did pledge $90 million over 3 years, to go towards mine clearance. This compares with the $100 million they spent in the previous 20 years. It is worth keeping in mind though that $3.3 million a day was spent in bombing the place.
People would like to move on and forget, but UXO still plays a huge part in their lives today and forgetfulness can easily result in death. At Phonsavan, the modern town which replaced the bombed out Xieng Khuang, it is possible to the visit the UXO Information Centre, an outpost of MAG (Mines Advisory Group), a British aid agency involved in mine clearance and in training the local people in the work (www.maginternational.org). It is right in the centre of town on the main street; this area includes the famous Plain of Jars and was heavily bombed.
There are harrowing and thought provoking films on the legacy of the bombings and their impact on the locals today, good displays and t-shirts for sale.
A couple of doors down, there is the UXO Survivor Information Centre, again with films, displays and some nice local handicrafts made by the survivors of UXO. If nothing else, it should bring home to one the devastating after effects of war. An amputee talks of how he would like a prosthetic arm just so he hold a cup again and you realize that it is the little, simple things in life that matter and wonder how resilient you would be when faced with such a tragedy.
Phonsavan confronts with the harsh legacy of war amidst a vibrant modern town. Empty bomb canisters are used for decoration, as fencing or house stilts. They are a feature of many hotels and restaurants. Bombies make good salt cellars. How nice if they were to be relegated to a quirky footnote in history but it is worth noting that while 111 nations have signed The Convention on Cluster Munitions from 2008, against the production, use, transferal and stockpiling of cluster bombs, America is not one of them.
