Thread by @MAGsaveslives, Mr Toun is the village chief in Ban Kayou, in the Khammouane [...]

MAG (Mines Advisory Group)

MAGsaveslives

Mr Toun is the village chief in Ban Kayou, in the Khammouane Province of #Laos

Laos is—per capita—the most bombed countries in the world.

More than 250 million ‘bombies’ were dropped on Laos during the #VietnamWar—the equivalent of one planeload every 8 minutes for 9 years

Mr Toun is the village chief in Ban Kayou, in the Khammouane Province of #Laos Laos is—per capita—the most bombed countries in the world.More than 250 million ‘bombies’ were dropped on Laos during the #VietnamWar—the equivalent of one planeload every 8 minutes for 9 years

The unexploded bombs that litter Laos are still claiming lives today, almost half a century after the war ended.

The paddy fields of Ban Kayou were seeded with the deadly legacy of the war before MAG arrived in the village.

❝Two boys and a girl, about 12 years old, were digging to catch frogs just here and they all died. They hit a bomb.❞ Mr Toun recalls.

❝That happened 10 years ago but we never forget it and we have always been very scared. Children are often attracted to the bombs❞

In the spring of 2019, MAG found & destroyed almost 300 unexploded bombs in the area enabling the government to build a water irrigation project in the community.

❝Before we had nine contaminated paddy fields and now we have 60 cleared, safe paddy fields,❞ explained Mr Toun

❝You can see the people are busy, they are very active developing the fields and taking care of their vegetable gardens and they are doing it with no fear of unexploded bombs.❞

More than 30 families in Ban Kayou share the land and will benefit equally from the harvests.

❝I am the head of the village and on behalf of every person here I would like to thank MAG and MAG’s donors. Now thanks to you we will have enough food to eat and sell for the first time in memory - and at the same time go about our lives without fear,❞ concluded Mr Toun.