map showing most UXO impacted areas of Laos(photo-courtesy of UXO-Lao

UXO-Lao says it will need at least $6 million a year to carry on its task of clearing unexploded ordnances from Laos soil. That's $2 million more than what it has been receiving from foreign assistance.

UXO-Lao Program Director Bounpone Sayasen says the additional money is needed to buy new equipments such as mine detectors and vehicles to replace the old, broken down equipments that have been in service for the past ten years.

Since 1996, Laos has been able to clear more  than 700,000 unexploded bombs from over 8,000 hectares of land. But that's less than 1% of all the bombed areas in Laos, which cover over 90,000 hectares in 9 provinces. UXO-Lao says at the current clearing rate and the current amount of foreign assistance, it will take over 100 years to get rid of all the unexploded ordnances from Laos soil.

Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.