I am a cluster bomb survivor from Laos. Bombs that were dropped on my country during the Vietnam War have killed and injured up to 20,000 Laotians since 1973. I have been on tour of the US to educate people about this issue. The tour ends in DC on...

What is the current attitude towards the US government and US citizens 40 years after the military action in your country?

relations are quite friendly and normal, I have many American friends in Laos and we are focused on the future of our work and how we can solve it together.

What is the most important thing you would like people in the United States to know about cluster bombs in Laos?

Victims assistance and awareness about UXO are the top two for me. Many many people do not know the danger that is left in Laos.

UXO by the way stands for unexploded ordnance, many of the UXO in Laos are cluster bombs or bombies as we call them

What was your initial reaction?

After the accident, I was very saddened and depressed, I thought of ending my life, and it became very hard to live mentally and physically without my body being full.

What changed those feelings?

I had a friend that gave me hope and I realized I still had a lot to live for. I started a non-profit called Quality of Life that helps survivors like me find hope like my friend did for me. Find us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/QLACenter

Do you remember much of the explosion when it occurred?

When the bombie exploded,I had a "what happen" moment. I couldn't open my eyes. I could hear people around me saying " what happen, what happen" then I was home on my way to the hospital. i remember seeing blood and wanting to see my hand, but my parents wouldn't let me see to shield me and keep saying everything will be ok with you

I went to see you at JMU a few days ago. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm wearing the bracelet Manixia put on me too!

Thank you for coming out!

Is "Thor" a common name in laos? awesome!

yes! and Manixia says hi!

I love the name Laos. It sounds so cool. I expect to get down voted.

Not from me! Thanks!

Are you only raising awareness or are you proposing a demining plan? If so what does it consist of? How long would it take?

I represent the voice of survivors on the tour and my friend Manixia represents deminers, my primary goal currently is awareness raising for victims assistance because so few people know the history of the bombings and the human toll its taken on the people of Laos.

Was the medical staff at the hospital you were treated at familiar with your type of injuries?

I was too young at the time to really understand what type of capacity the medical staff had, I was only 8.

but now medical services are better, but definitely need more resources

How many UXOs were dropped?

Do you have any idea how many might remain? After so many years of bomb clearing, I would think that a lot of the bombs have been taken care of

2 million tons of ordnance remain in the ground by some estimates. Despite years of clearance only 1% has been cleared.

Are their specific known places where bombs are likely to be, or are the bombs in seemingly random places?

They cover much of the country. You can read more here: http://legaciesofwar.org/about-laos/leftover-unexploded-ordnances-uxo/

What does the younger generation think about the situation? I have a friend who emigrated to our country from Laos maybe 5 years ago and I've never heard her mention this, though her mother is still very wary of Americans and never liked her going out with friends.

The war was a very long time ago. We have friendly relations with the US. Of course, the bomb situation is very serious and we need to help survivors and clear the bombs that are left. Most people want to know if we are angry. No. That seems like a waste of time when there is so much work to do.

to follow the last question, in what relevant and important ways, specifically what type of assistance would be most helpful?

Psychosocial support is very important and is an area that is severely limited in Laos. My non-profit Quality of Life Association also aims to help survivors by providing jobs. Currently we are only able to help 10 survivors, and my goal is expand that number because we have over 600 survivors in my province alone. Funding for victims assistance through private donations are also helpful for us to build that capacity.

you can also learn more about Quality of Life Association on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/QLACenter?fref=ts

What has the international community do ne in relation to cluster bombs since the Vietnam War?

The international community has responded with funding for bomb removal and victim assistance. The need is very great, however! The good news is that the US government has increased its funding to 9 million in the last year. We hope that this tour will inspire others to help fund assistance and clearance.

Which country, China or the US, do you think cares more about the welfare of the people of Laos?

The Legacies of War tour was funded by the US Dept of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. Hilary Clinton visited Laos when she was Secretary of State and vowed to increase funding to clear bombs and assist victims. As she promised funding has tripled for bomb clearance, risk education and victim assistance. This tour is meant to educate about the need in Laos and raise funding for additional clearance and victim assistance work.

Have you encountered a group attempting to disarm and remove such bombs? Have you attempted yourself?

There are groups now clearing in Loas that are professional organizations like Mines Advisory Group and the HALO Trust. Many people try to defuse bombs to sell the scrap metal. Many people are hurt this way.

Is there anything an average person can do to help you or your foundation? Any kind of volunteering over the internet or anything?

The best help is to tell your friends and make a donation and please make a donation at legaciesofwar.org. Please tell your friends!

Where are your favourite places to go and things to see in Laos?

Luang Prabrang and Xieng Khoung. In XK the weather is very nice, not so cold, no so hot. LP has many beautiful places, temples, markets, and its very nice

What is your opinion on the general Vietnam War, and America's involvement in Asia during the Cold War?

Outside of spreading awareness of remaining bombs and mines in Laos as a humanitarian issue, do you consider yourself a politically active and outspoken person?

In a few words, what can the average American do to clear mines and bombs out of countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.?

The best thing to do is to donate money to groups helping and ask your friends to help! The war happened a long time ago. It was a confusing time.

Are there still incidents of people getting hurt or losing their limbs from the cluster bombs?

Yes, approximately 100 a year.

Do you think you can remember the first thing that ran through your mind when it happened?

I thought "what happened?" and I could not open my eyes.

Have you thought about offering any help to the victims of the Boston Marathon attack? I would imagine they would be grateful to talk to someone with your experience. Additionally, it would help bring some awareness to what your group does.

EDIT: I realize that it's gauche to talk about downvotes, but I strongly suspect the downvotes to this comment are coming as a result of a conversation I am having in another unrelated thread. If you are downvoting the suggestion that a guy who lost his fucking left hand from unexploded ordinance might have something therapeutic to say to the Boston Bombing victims because of something completely unrelated to this topic, then may God help your soul.

That is a veery good idea. We are heading back to Laos to soon to help, but I wish we could.

What is your ultimate goal- or what, precisely, is it that you hope to accomplish with a tour? You said earlier to raise awareness. But for what? Are you hopeing US citizens will pressure their government to help with clean up? Is this just a way to spread anti-war propaganda? (I apologize if that sounds crass) You clearly feel strongly on the subject, as you should, but the goal of all the effort is eluding me.

This is the 40th anniversary of the end of the bombings of my country and we need additional funding for clearance and victim assistance. The goal of this trip is educate people and to raise funding for more clearance and victim assistance efforts.

Hi, I don't know if this has been asked, but, in a few sentences, what would you like us to learn about your experience. Do you urge us to do anything?

I would like for people to know what happened in Laos and to many people like me. If more people know then maybe more people will help survivors

It sucks that there are places on this planet that are so dangerous because human beings want to kill each other. Do you think something like this would help?

No. That design will not help in finding unexploded bombs.

I know landlines in Cambodia are also a huge danger in the region. Do you discuss that topic along with your talks about Laos?

We have focused on the situation in Laos on this trip.

I first heard about these unexploded clusterbombs on a Finnish backpacker TV show called "Madventures". I felt really sickened first when I heard that the US even refused to help with the costs of cleaning up the explosives.

You can feel better. The US government has assisted with clearance and victim assistance. From the press kit we have for this tour:

"Between 1993 and 2010, the U.S. contributed on average $3.1 million a year, or $51 million total, for UXO clearance, risk education and victim assistance. In April 2010, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment held the first ever hearing on the issue of UXO in Laos, helping to educate members of Congress on the issue and increase support for additional funding for UXO clearance in Laos.

In 2011, U.S. funding for UXO programs began to increase dramatically, first to $5 million, and then to $9 million in 2012."

How do you know that it was a cluster bomb as opposed to an unexplored regular bomb or other device?

If it were anything bigger I would have been killed. The shrapnel from the bomb identified it as a cluster bomb.

I've been studying the Vietnam War in Sixth Form this year and it's truly intriguing - Though we have focused more on the American, (political), side of things more than Vietnamese Civilians. My question is, how much has the effect of the War affected you, 40 years on. You said, initially, you were "sad and depressed", but how is life now compared to then?

I was not alive during the war.

does america pay retribution to any victims? or do you guys get the cold shoulder from the american government?

I have answered this before, but it is an important question. This is a quote form our press kit on the tour: "Between 1993 and 2010, the U.S. contributed on average $3.1 million a year, or $51 million total, for UXO clearance, risk education and victim assistance.

In April 2010, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment held the first ever hearing on the issue of UXO in Laos, helping to educate members of Congress on the issue and increase support for additional funding for UXO clearance in Laos.

In 2011, U.S. funding for UXO programs began to increase dramatically, first to $5 million, and then to $9 million in 2012."

Who do you blame?

I would rather we think "How can we help?".

Have you been involved in the war at all?

No, the war was over for twenty years when i had my accident. It ended before I was born.

This post on reddit will be the highest point of your life. The sad truth is that no one really cares about your story. You are a one handed chonger.

Well, Google my name and then yours. Let me know how that goes for you.

My question: Why should we care about this issue?

What happened to you is an undeniable tragedy and one of the many horrors of war, but with so many other international problems vying for our attention I find it hard to understand what your point is.

Moreover, what is the reason Laos is unable to handle this problem by itself? Why travel overseas to drum up support (and, I imagine, money) instead of trying to cause internal change in Laos? Thank you.

Lao people are strong people. But this issue is way too big for us to handle alone. More bombs were dropped on Laos that in all of World War 2. It is expensive to do it properly and we can't do it alone.