What lingers in Laos
Clearing unexploded bombs is just one step
From 1964 to 1973, the United States waged a secret war against Laos, carrying out 580,000 bombing missions. No other country in human history before or since has been subjected to as massive an assault from the air at levels sustained by Laos during that undeclared war. It was during this period that 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on the Southeast Asia nation by the U.S.
Last week, President Barack Obama moved to address America’s moral obligation to lessen and eliminate the danger posed by an estimated 80 million unexploded bombs still seeding the largely rural and poor nation. Decades after the CIAordered aerial campaign ended, dozens of innocent civilians who are farming, playing or simply walking down the road continue to be maimed or killed annually.
Once there were as many as 300 fatalities a year from unexploded bombs; that number has been cut to fewer than 50 annually thanks to American efforts. While statistically speaking the majority of Laos’ 7 million people are far less likely to encounter an unexploded American cluster bomb, that doesn’t lessen this nation’s obligation to eliminate the threat entirely. That is why Mr. Obama has doubled the U.S. contribution to removing the bombs to $30 million a year for the next three years. This $90 million commitment approaches the $100 million the U.S. has already spent over the past two decades.
Along with cleaning up millions of the deadliest and most remorseless bombs on the planet, the U.S. will help Laos improve its internet access. Broadening and expanding teacher exchanges is also high on the list of administration goals for deepening ties with Laos. In turn, the Laotian government will increase its effort to repatriate the remains of American soldiers and pilots lost since the war. This is a win-win proposition for both sides and the right thing for America to do after the obscenity of a secret war that killed thousands and destabilized the region’s economy for decades.
Mr. Obama may not have apologized formally for America’s actions a half century ago, but his actions speak louder than any words ever could. America is making amends.