UXO BOMB JEWELRY
UXO BOMB JEWELRY
WHAT IS UXO?
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) are explosive weapons (bombs, bullets, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, etc.) that did not explode when they were employed.
Between 1964 and 1973, Laos suffered heavy bombings, in what is other words known as "America's Secret War". As part of America’s strategy against communism, American air force dropped an average of
a planeload of bombs
every eight minutes,
24 hours a day,
for nine years,
making Laos the most heavily bombed country in history per capita.
The bombing focused on disrupting communist supply chains on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and Sepon, a village near a former French air base now controlled by North Vietnam. This resulted in a tenth of the countries population being killed on top of tens of thousands of more accidental deaths and injuries, which continue to this day.
With millions of unexploded ordnance (UXO) still buried deep in the soil and scattered across the country, the Laotian people remain vulnerable and at risk. To date, less then one percent of the bombs have been removed.
QUICK FACTS
• At least 20,000 people have been killed or injured by unexploded ordnance in Laos since the Vietnam War-era bombings ended.
• About one third of the land in Laos is contaminated with unexploded ordnance.
• Many cluster bomblets became buried in the earth – waiting for an unsuspecting farmer to place a shovel in the earth or the monsoon rains to uncover them.
• Many farmers in Laos know their land is contaminated but can’t afford another plot. They simply have no choice but to cultivate their land.
• The most common injuries victims sustain from a UXO explosion include loss of a limb, blindness, hearing loss, shrapnel wounds, and internal shock wave injuries.
