Laos joints Oslo Convention banning cluster munitions

Laos joints Oslo Convention banning cluster munitions

(KPL) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, on Wednesday signed Oslo Convention to ban the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
The conventions is also to bind state parties to clear and destroy stockpile, and to assist the victims of cluster munitions.
“This convention has been the result of tireless efforts made by the international community who cares about the suffering of civilians and innocent people caused by the use of cluster munitions,” Dr. Thongloun said in his speech.
He said that the Oslo process is crucial not only for Laos but also for other UXO affected countries as well as for nations that are potentially exposed to the danger of cluster munitions.
“The convention recognises that the presence of unexploded sub-munitions bomblets cause not only a physical harm and death to the civilians but also constitute a long-term obstacle to the socio-economic reconstruction of the affected countries.”
The signing of the Convention is already one step forward to its realisation, but at the same time, it is just the beginning of our journey to the ultimate goal of eradicating the scourge of cluster munitions and liberating the people and our children from fear and threat of such silent killer, he added.
During the period between 1964-1973 more than 580,000 US bombing missions were carried out over the Lao PDR, dropping over two million tons of bombs of which 30 % failed to explode, which has later become the obstacle against the socio-economic development of the country.