| Stories from Laos : 1/9 | . I want to tell a moto-adventure story from the first time I bought a motorcycle in SE Asia... . but in order to tell this story, which involves bombs exploding in the landscape, I have to start with the reality of how those bombs got there in the first place. - From Legacies of War: From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions—equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years – making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. . The bombings were part of the U.S. Secret War in Laos to support the Royal Lao Government against the Pathet Lao and to interdict traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. . The bombings destroyed many villages and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lao civilians during the nine-year period. . Here are some other startling facts about the U.S. bombing of Laos and its tragic aftermath: . Over 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War; up to 80 million did not detonate. . Nearly 40 years on, less than 1% of these munitions have been destroyed. More than half of all confirmed cluster munitions casualties in the world have occurred in Laos. . There are now just under 50 new casualties per year in Laos, down from over 300. Close to 60% of the accidents result in death, and 40% of the victims are children. . Between 1993 and 2016, the U.S. contributed on average $4.9M/year for UXO clearance in Laos in contrast, the U.S. spent $13.3M per DAY (in 2013 dollars) for nine years bombing Laos. - Thankfully, in 2016, the US pledged to give Laos $90M in a span of three years to help with clearance throughout Laos, shared among all UXO-aid organizations. . #laos #uxo #banclusterbombs @legaciesofwar #yamaha #xt #motoadventure #secretwar https://www.instagram.com/p/BurjB6KAhbe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4lci6xc69s9z