Vietnam praised for mine action efforts
Domestic and foreign experts have highly valued the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in introducing mine action policies, especially its initiative to establish a mine action partnership group, according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.
He made the remark at a press conference on March 14 to announce the outcomes of a development partnership conference on mine action in Hanoi on the same day.
Phuong, who is also member of the National Steering Committee for the National Action Plan on Overcoming Bomb and Mine Aftermath, added that partners and non-governmental organisations have expressed their willingness to give technical assistance to Vietnam to overcome consequences caused by bombs and mines left over from wars.
Meanwhile, Bui Hong Linh, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said a good grasp of unexploded ordnance density is needed to better understand the gravity of the situation and support those affected.
At present, there are about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs across 6.6 million hectares (20.12 percent of the country’s land area) in Vietnam.
Incomplete statistics show that UXOs have killed more than 42,000 people and injured 60,000 others nationwide, equivalent to 1,500 deaths and nearly 2,300 injuries every year.
Vietnam has cleared hundreds of thousands of hectares of UXOs. Between 2012 and 2013 alone, more than 100,000 hectares of land were demined.