New Zealand Provides $11.5 Million to Support UXO Clearance in Laos

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New Zealand will provide an extra 11.5 million dollars to help clear unexploded landmines left over in Laos following the Vietnam war.

US planes dropped more than 270 million munition in Laos between 1964 and 1973.

Visiting Laos as part of the ASEAN summit, US President Barack Obama announced an extra $90 million to help clean the unexploded munitions which have killed more than 20 million people.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key chipped in an extra $11.5 million of extra funding to help clear around 80 million pieces of munitions which have been left from the Vietnam War.

He said it was a terrible situation to live with.

‘There are all of these unexploded bombs which go back to the 1960s and 70s. We still have about 40 to 50 people report loosing limbs or being killed a year,’ Mr Key said.

Mr Key also announced an open skies air agreement which makes it easy to travel between the two countries.

Source: SkyNews