UXOs: Legacy of the Secret War in Laos

In the Xieng Khouang region of Laos, the Plain of Jars inspires reverence for ancient history. But this land is also marked by a more haunting recent history: The Indochina war of the 1960s and 1970s.

Photo: Air America Bell 205 helicopter leaving a Hmong Fire Support Base atop a hill in the south-eastern portion of the Laotian "Plain of Jars" in 1969.

Cold War Proxy

Also known as the Secret War, this conflict was a stage for the proxy battles of the Cold War superpowers. Lao's communist party and it's right-wing royal government both received heavy external support from outside forces.

The legacy of the Cold War era is similar for many third world countries. In fact, it is from this time period that the term 'third world' emerged. The forces of capitalism, the United States, and NATO represented the 'first world,' as opposed to the communist forces of Soviet Union, which represented the 'second world.' The rest of the world that remained unaligned with either was then designated as 'the third world.'

It was difficult for much of the 'third world' to remain neutral and unaligned. Rather than fighting each other directly, The Soviet Union and The United States used proxies to avoid more risk of nuclear destruction on their own soil. Areas of Latin America, the Middle East, Vietnam, Korea, Angola, and Afghanistan were all sites of Cold War proxy conflicts.

The Secret War refers to the often overlooked covert activities of the American government attempt to wipe out the spread of communism in Laos. Laos became a strategic target for the US Air Force and a focus for US intelligence units. Air America was the CIA's secret airline whose activities in Southeast Asia from 1950 to 1976 are still largely disputed. The stated agenda of USAir Force General Curtis LeMay was to bomb the Vietnamese and Laotian communists “back to the stone-age”. Ultimately, the US failed to eradicate communism from Laos, but its years of saturation bombing did leave it the the most heavily bombed area of the world per capita.

Photo: Xieng Kouang, Phonsavan, Laos, Napia Village, Unexploded Ordanance ©SutiknoGINDROZ

UXOs: Unexploded Ordnances

The Secret War conflict left a particularly harsh legacy in the Xieng Khouang region of Laos. In the 1960s and 1970s, the covert operations of the CIA and Air America added up to thousands of tons of bombs that were dropped. Estimates range from 75,000 to 150,000 tons of explosives that landed on the Xieng Khouang region. An often cited figure is a B52 plane load of bombs dropped every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 9 years to contextualize the sheer volume of ordanance dropped.

Today, non governmental organizations such as Cope Laos are gathering data and taking action to address the Secret War legacy. They estimate that more than 260 million pieces of ammunition from cluster bombs were dropped between 1964 and 1973. Of this total, a full 30% failed to explode.

UXOs, or Unexploded Ordnances, present a deadly challenge for this region of the Lao countryside. At least one person each day is killed by a UXO in Laos. Many more have been left with disabilities. Although Laos has set goals to be UXO-free within the next ten years, eliminating UXOs is a dangerous and underfunded project. Progress is slow.

Visiting UXO Lao

One way for visitors to raise their own awareness about the facts and realities surrounding unexploded ordnances in Laos is to visit the UXO Lao in Phonsavan. At this visitors' center, you can see examples of different kinds of bombs, such as cluster bombs and land mines. The small museum displays photographs of war years of the past and disposal projects of the present. In some cases, visitors can even coordinate a viewing of detection and disposal techniques. Witnessing a detonation like this is truly eye-opening experience about the realities of UXOs in Laos today.

Safety

Because UXOs are still a latent threat in rural areas, certain safetly precautions are advisable for people visiting the Plain of Jars and the surrounding area. Stay on the trail and do not stray into unmarked territory. Keep an eye out for warning signs posted by the Mines Advisory Group as to whether an area has been cleared for landmines or not. If wanting to go trekking, go with a local guide. Most obviously, do not handle or even go near anything that resembles a bomb casing in any way. Notify the local authorities if you do spot something.

To learn more about the area, why not try our 'Make Spoons Not War' tour.