This year marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the US bombing campaign in Laos, where more than 270 million cluster bombs were dropped during the Vietnam War.
But some young Laotians living in Australia fear their history will be lost, and are making efforts to find out more about America’s so-called ‘secret war’.
Laos is – per capita – the most heavily bombed country in the world. During America’s ‘Secret War’ from 1964 to 1973, the United States dropped hundreds of millions of cluster munitions on Laos in a covert mission to destroy North Vietnamese supply lines.
More bombs were dropped on Laos than all over Europe in World War Two.
But Australian NGO, Corner Link, says Laos is less known for its unexploded ordnances than its neighbour Cambodia.
An open forum was held by the organisation to help raise public awareness of Laos and drew members from the Australian-Laos community.
"It was actually quite embarrassing that I didn’t know about this stuff a lot more than I should have", said forum attendee, Danny Manich.
"Because it is my culture, it’s where I was born.’
Danny’s family migrated from Laos to Australia during the 1970s because of the Vietnam War, an experience he says many older Laotians still find it difficult to discuss.
That’s one of the reasons Laos-born Vicki Rattanavong and Parry Sanixay founded a young Laotian community group, Laos-Oz Foundation.
"For us it’s important, even though it’s happened in the past, to remind people that it has happened, to acknowledge it and move on" said Mr Sanixay.
Around 80 million bombs failed to detonate in Laos and about 50 million have not been found – posing a constant threat to farmers and children.
"For so many people, those wars are past history and they don’t understand what it’s like to be continuing to be a part of them as so many Laotian people are", said Mike Sprang from NGO SafeGround.
Mr Sprang says he’d like to see a stronger push from the Australian government to stop the manufacturing of cluster bombs.
"It’s unfortunate that probably quite a large proportion of people who have a superannuation fund in Australia probably unwittingly supporting some of the companies that are still manufacturing those weapons.It’s disappointing to me that the cluster munitions treaty ratified by Australia doesn’t go nearly far enough to cover the matter of disinvestment", said Mr Sprang.
And with yesterday’s closure of the Australian Agency for International Development, or AusAID, Parry Sanixay says they’re happy taking it upon themselves to help boost awareness.
"It’s all about sharing, it’s about letting people know what’s going on in Laos and definitely today’s topic it’s something we are keen to help share and promote."
