US pledges US$90 million for UXO clearance
The United States announced on September 6th it would provide an additional US$90 million over the next three years to help Laos clear unexploded ordnance which has continued to kill and injure people since bombs rained down on the country during the Indochina War. The extra assistance was announced on September 6th by US President Barack Obama when he addressed more than 1,000 people at the National Culture Hall in Vientiane. Obama reiterated that the US has an obligation to help Laos clear the munitions that remain in the ground after bombing raids destroyed parts of the Southeast Asian nation. The US president acknowledged that Laos is the most affected country in the world from bombs dropped by US airplanes decades ago. One Lao person said bombs spilled like rain, he said.
