Vietnam seeks more international support to clear landmines
VOV.VN - The threat from landmines and other explosive remnants of war remains an omnipresent threat to Vietnamese civilians, said representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Molisa) on December 14 at a conference in Hanoi.
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The conference was with representatives of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) at which the two sides discussed enhancing and expanding their efforts to protect civilians from landmines and unexploded ordnance.
In addition to landmines, they said it has been estimated that there are still around 800 tons of unexploded bombs from the past US war and these explosives represent a continuing threat to farmers ploughing their fields, children walking to school, and entrepreneurs trying to build their communities.
They noted there have been more than 100,000 casualties caused by landmines, bombs and other explosive remnants since the end of the war and both sides were in complete agreement that much more need be done to remove the dangerous munitions.
Though financial support from international donors has been decreasing over the past few years, representatives affirmed the GICHD stands ready to assist in raising funds and in implementing the National Action Plan to deal with the problem.
Participants at the conference also shared information and experiences in supporting bomb and landmine victims reintegrate into society. They proposed priorities and social policies for the victims to improve their livelihoods in the coming time.
