Project Sekong 2012: Must we find bombs before we declare land safe? No. And furthermore, we hope we don’t find a thing!

February 1, 2012
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If we search a parcel of land and find UXO we remove or destroy it. But if we've thoroughly searched and don't find ordnance we can still certify the land as safe for future use. Our satisfaction comes as much from removing fear, as from removing bombs.

Report 8

In spite of two tough days on the road and a late arrival last night Chomrong, our Team Leader, had everyone up early this morning. By 7:00 AM with equipment in hand the team was aboard the truck and we were all bouncing down the road toward Dak Den village and our first job.

I thought Chomrong might spend the morning touring the sites that Yai and I had previously inspected so he could draw his own conclusions but he seemed trusting of our recommendations.  As he hopped from the truck at the first site, he was already barking commands to the team, an indication that he had arrived, not to peruse and palaver, but to work.

Chomrong was momentarily distracted from the team while he field-tested our detectors.  When he finally checked to see how the deminers were handling their assigned tasks he wasn’t pleased with their progress so he applied a vigorous sandpapering to the entire staff. (What I would term an “equal-opportunity kick in the pants”.) Then, he dashed down the path as if challenging the slowest deminer to keep up.

I’m still trying to get the measure of the man.  His no-nonsense approach might be a Cambodian trait, or it might reflect his military training. Or, it might simply be his own unique personality; Chomrong’s got more than a few eccentricities.

I’m pleased that our efforts on this first day, at this first site, have turned up not one piece of unexploded ordnance. (And, more surprising, no bomb fragments).  In fact, little metal contamination of any kind; four nails, two bullet casings, an ax head and just a handful of rusty bits and bobs.

I’ve long since got beyond the thrill of blowing up ordnance. Undeniably, it’s satisfying to know that a life-threatening device is gone for good, but a demolition is just one facet of “area clearance.”

To put it in simple terms: We’re here to search land that impoverished villagers need but are afraid to use.  The faster we clear land and certify it safe to use, the sooner villagers can get on with improving their lives. The fact that we search all day and don’t find a bomb is no disappointment to me.  It means that parcel can be declared safe and our team we can proceed to search a different area without having to stop and do a demolition.

Too often, victims of UXO are tallied in two broad categories: killed and wounded.  What about the people who have been spared physically injury but live constantly in fear of an accident?  What of the people who must forsake their dreams because fear crushes their aspirations.  In Laos, those people number in the millions.

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