OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: Vietnamese civilians -- 100,000 of whom have been maimed or killed by cluster munitions -- are pressing their government to sign a treaty designed to cease production and use of the deadly weapon.

• In an effort to save civilians trapped in a collapsed tunnel after a bombing, former youth volunteer Ms. Thuyen stepped on a landmine and lost part of her right leg. © Chi Vu/Advocacy ProjectCluster munitions are large weapons that release up to hundreds of smaller submunitions. "Air-dropped or ground-launched, they cause two major humanitarian problems and risks to civilians. First, their widespread dispersal means they cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians so the humanitarian impact can be extreme, especially when the weapon is used in or near populated areas. Many submunitions fail to detonate on impact and become de facto antipersonnel mines killing and maiming people long after the conflict has ended," writes the Cluster Munition Coalition.

• In late May 2008, a strong treaty to ban cluster bombs was agreed to by 110 countries, despite the absence of the United States from negotiations.

• At least 14 countries have used the weapon and over two dozen countries have been affected by them, meaning cluster munitions pose an even graver threat to civilians than antipersonnel mines.

• Although military conflict ended in 1975, cluster bombs remain scattered across Vietnam, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries over the past 30 years. To read more about conflict and human rights in Vietnam, visit OneWorld UK's Vietnam country guide.

Landmine Survivors Push Vietnam to Adopt Cluster Bomb Ban

From: Advocacy Project

August 28, 2008

Quang Binh, Vietnam: Thirty-three years after the end of the Vietnam War, landmine survivors in Vietnam are pressing their government to sign a groundbreaking treaty banning the use of cluster bombs.

More than 100,000 Vietnamese have been maimed or killed by unexploded munitions since 1975. As a result, Landmine Survivors Network-Vietnam (LSN-Vietnam) has launched a campaign asking government officials to take a strong stand by signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The Convention was adopted by 107 nations in May at a meeting in Dublin, Ireland, and will be formally signed in December in Oslo, Norway. Countries that ratify the Convention pledge to never use cluster bombs, to stop developing and producing the weapons, and to never transfer the weapons to anyone else. Signatories will have six years to destroy existing stockpiles of the weapons. The treaty also calls for international cooperation to help those affected by cluster bombs and to clear unexploded bombs within five years.

"The signing of the cluster munitions treaty will be beneficial for our country, especially our people, because they've been most affected by cluster munitions," said Kim-Hoa Nguyen, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at LSN-Vietnam. "Hopefully we will be able to obtain international cooperation for victim assistance and mine clearance, which will be very helpful for our survivors, their families, and our communities."

LSN-Vietnam is a branch of Survivor Corps (the former Landmine Survivors Network), and was an influential advocate for victim assistance at the Dublin meeting. Survivor Corps is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), and AP recruited Peace Fellow Chi Vu to volunteer with LSN-Vietnam this summer.

Cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that eject a number of smaller "bomblets." Because the bombs release many bomblets over a wide area, they can kill or maim civilians long after a conflict has ended. Unexploded bomblets are costly to locate and remove.

Vietnam has never produced, stockpiled, or used cluster munitions, but it has felt the bombs' devastating effects. According to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund, about 104,000 Vietnamese have been killed or injured by leftover wartime explosives since 1975. Thirty percent of the casualties were caused by cluster bombs. In the past two years in Quang Tri province alone, 38 percent of accidents were caused by cluster bombs, with at least 11 people killed or injured.

LSN-Vietnam is working with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH) on a campaign urging the government to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Between now and November, the campaign will hold two workshops to distribute information about the treaty to survivors, diplomats, government officials, and the media. Ms Vu helped the group secure $3,000 in funding for the workshops.

The campaign also plans to produce a short film documenting the effects of cluster bombs in Vietnam, and will drive a "Ban Bus" through the country in November to raise awareness.

For now, Vietnamese government officials remain neutral on the cluster munitions treaty, saying they are still studying the Convention and considering joining it. However, the government has emphasized that it supports international humanitarian efforts to help communities and individuals affected by cluster bombs.

Some of the world's main producers and stockpilers of cluster bombs, including the United States, Russia and China, have so far refused to sign the treaty.

To read more about the Convention on Cluster Munitions and conflict in Vietnam, visit the Advocacy Project.