This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos.
I first visited Laos in 1997 and thought I had stumbled upon Shangri-La. From that point on, I became a regular visitor – primarily for professional reasons, but soaking up the spirit of the place each time.
When the opportunity arose to take up a full time position as the Chief Technical Advisor to UXO Lao, the largest UXO clearance programme (and run by the government), the opportunity was too good to be missed and I moved here with my family in early 2012.
Laos has changed much since 1997 – some for the better, some less so, but the charm and the complexities of the country and its people remain. Vientiane is almost unrecognisable, but the countryside continues to be the same bucolic arena of seasonal changes – wet; dry; wet; dry; and still the insidious threat of ordnance remaining from the second Indochina war in 1964-73. Laos retains the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily bombed country in the world and the clean-up work continues supported by a number of donor countries (including the UK). The scale is breathtaking – more than 1 tonne of ordnance per man, woman and child in Laos at the time dropped in the period 1964-73; 80 million (potentially hazardous) submunitions remain spread throughout the country – and over the last 15 years, less than 2 per cent cleared. However, the last 15 years’ work is beginning to bear fruit. In 1996, there were around 240 accidents per year whereas the total in 2012 had reduced to “just” 52 victims.
My work has several elements to it: supporting the Director of UXO Lao at a political and operational level; providing support to UNDP and indirectly the donor community to support the government of Laos with its clearance programme and, what seems to take a significant amount of time, supporting visits of visiting donors and supporters of the UXO Programme. This is as diverse as spending several days out with Russian film crews, to supporting and entertaining foreign ministers and under secretaries of state. Whatever the role on that particular day is, I can be sure of two things. First that at the end of the day my work will be supporting the people of Laos who did not ask to be bombed during the late 60’s and early 70’s – something they remain incredibly stoical about. Second, I know that my day will always be surrounded by smiles from my incredible Lao colleagues who, regardless of the challenges facing the country on political levels, are grateful for the continued international attention and support to one of the country’s largest development challenges.