Aftermath Laotian Civil War

laotians hired assist u.s. troops assigned joint pow/mia accounting command sift move tons of dirt on mountain near xépôn, laos (july 2004)



unexploded cluster sub-munition, blu-26 type. plain of jars, laos. 2012

due vietnam war, laotian war had been forgotten majority of people in around world, in united states , vietnam.

twenty-two years following end of laotian war, on 15 may 1997, u.s. officially acknowledged role in secret war. memorial honor of american , hmong contributions u.s. air , ground combat efforts during conflict established lao veterans of america, center public policy analysis, in cooperation congress , others. laos memorial located on grounds of arlington national cemetery between john f. kennedy eternal flame , tomb of unknown soldier.

many former ethnic hmong , laotian veterans , families, led colonel wangyee vang of lao veterans of america institute , lao veterans of america worked establish non-profit organization , advocate honorary u.s. citizenship secret army veterans. in 2000, hmong veterans naturalization act of 2000 passed republican-controlled congress , signed law president bill clinton.

many of hmong people have come down mountains , surrendered lao government, while others found way refugee camps in thailand. in 2008, however, repatriation agreement between thai , lao governments resulted in mass forced deportation of people in these camps, , reports of atrocities committed against them lao military spurred activist groups try , persuade thai government keep granting asylum refugees, no avail.

in 2004, following several years of pressure coalition of u.s. conservatives , liberal human rights activists, u.s. government reversed policy of denying immigration hmong had fled laos in 1990s refugee camps in thailand. in major victory hmong, government recognized 15,000 hmong political refugees , afforded them expedited u.s. immigration rights.

there continuing casualties unexploded ordnance (uxo) dropped u.s. , laotian air forces 1964 1973. has been reported that, between 1964 , 1973, areas controlled invading communist north vietnamese , pathet lao hit average of 1 b‑52 bomb-load every 8 minutes, 24 hours day. more 2 million tons of bombs dropped on laos, particularly on xiangkhouang province, 30 percent of failed explode immediately. u.s. aircraft dropped more ordnance on laos on countries during world war ii, leaving laos 78 million pieces of uxo end of war.

uxo remains dangerous persons coming in contact, purposefully or accidentally, bombs. casualties in laos uxo estimated @ 12,000 since 1973. thirty-three years after last bomb dropped , after decades of uxo clearance programs, 59 people known have been killed or injured uxo in 2006. abundant remnants of bombs on plain of jars collection , sale of scrap metal bombs has been major industry since civil war. 300 laotians killed or injured per year uxo.