vietnam has a mine clearance team made up entirely of women
2024-09-05
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nearly 50 years after the end of the vietnam war, unexploded ordnance (uxo) still poses a threat to local residents. according to the british "times" report on the 3rd, 40-year-old ms. chen leads vietnam's only all-female demining team, serving the non-governmental organization mine advisory group (mag).according to reports, from 1965 to 1975, the united states and its allies dropped more than 7.5 million tons of bombs on vietnam, laos and cambodia, twice as much as dropped on europe and asia during world war ii. by weight, this is the largest air strike in human history. quang tri province in vietnam is one of the most intensively bombed areas. even nearly 50 years after the end of the war, the safety of the vietnamese people is still threatened by uxo. it is estimated that more than 100,000 people in vietnam have been killed or injured since the end of the war in 1975. in may this year, a new fatal uxo accident occurred in quang tri province.ms. chen's career in demining began with a childhood memory when she was 10 years old: an explosion took the life of a woman in her hometown, leaving a deep mark on her. she said, "living in an area contaminated by bombs left over from war, this threat is always there."it is reported that the 13-member all-female demining team led by ms. chen searches the fields for leftover bombs and mines every day. the team members need to detect the land with metal detectors in high temperatures, and ms. chen decides how to safely deal with each uxo found. their work usually ends with a controlled blast, which is considered the safest way to deal with old ammunition. ms. chen is responsible for the countdown and presses the detonator to detonate at a safe distance. she said this is her favorite moment of the day because it means that there is less danger in the living areas of local residents. the team can clear 4,500 square meters a day (about the area of a small football field), but the progress depends on the weather, terrain and the conditions of the team members. the team has found 112 unexploded ordnances in 109 days of missions at the current mission point.although mine clearance is a high-risk job, the team members are still full of enthusiasm. jin an, a 36-year-old team member, is expected to welcome her third child in december this year, but she still sticks to her post. she said: "when i safely clear a bomb, i feel proud that i have reduced the risk of accidents for the people around me."the female demining team is expected to complete the clearing of the current mission area by the end of this year, which will bring economic and social benefits to 640 local families. after the clearing work is completed, they will move to the next area. the local government plans to clear uxo in the entire quang tri province by 2035.mag's official website shows that about 50 years after the end of the vietnam war, vietnam still has about 800,000 tons of uxo. since 1999, mag has been carrying out mine clearance work in vietnam with international funding. currently, they also provide explosive risk education courses for people in high-risk areas, especially farmers and children. ▲
