Vietnam receives mine-clearing gear from United States

Source: Viet Nam News

HA NOI � The United States yesterday donated nearly US$1 million worth of equipment to locate and clear landmines and unexploded ordnance to the Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal Technology (BOMICEN).

The equipment will reinforce the centre�s capacity to deal with explosive hazards that have remained after thirty years of conflict.

Since joining the US Government�s Humanitarian Mine Action Programme in 2000, Viet Nam has received over $37 million as mine action aid, with most of the funds supporting the work of various non-governmental organisations for mine and UXO surveys and clearance, mine risk education and assisting mine survivors.

Read the rest of this article here: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02SOC281206

Vietnam: Clear Path Responded to 88 New Victims of Bombs, Landmines and other Munitions in 2006

More than three decades since the end of the war in Vietnam, accidents from landmines and unexploded bombs still injure and kill innocent civilians at an alarming rate.

As 2006 draws to a close, Clear Path International�s office in Vietnam reports it provided support to 88 new victims of encounters with unexploded ordnance in seven central coast provinces north and south of the former Demilitarized Zone. Clear Path has posted an incident report brief to their blog at www.cpi.org/cpiblog. Read the report in PDF format here.

"It should be made clear that this report is not representative of the country as a whole, and includes only accidents that were reported to our staff in the Central Vietnam region." stated Executive Director, Martha Hathaway "But these numbers should also make clear that the Vietnamese people are still, thirty years post conflict, suffering from explosive remnants of war with disturbing frequency."

As the report shows, nearly 40 percent, or two out of five, of the victims were children (under 18). Thirty-six victims died from their wounds, which were caused by landmines, cluster bombs, mortars, phosphorous grenades and other explosives still left over from the war.

Since 2000, Clear Path has provided medical, social and economic assistance to more 2,750 new and existing accident survivors and their families in central Vietnam. This year, it has been offered a matching challenge grant of up to $60,000 from the U.S. State Department.

Clear Path is still collecting donations to meet the State Department challenge focused specifically on its humanitarian mine action work in Vietnam.

Based in the Unites States, Clear Path International assists landmine accident survivors in Vietnam, Cambodia and along the Thai-Burma border. It also sends shipments of medical equipment, orthopedic devices and surgical supplies to hospitals in mine-affected countries around the world. Learn more about Clear Path International at www.cpi.org.

Is Tom Peters right?

Last night I was having a conversation with my good friend Tom Peters regarding the benefits of blogging. I was saying that it is not as important to me to build community or generate comments on this blog as it is to build contextually relevant content which will generate more search engine results.... "Plus," I added, "there are not enough people (if any) actually READING the Clear Path blog to generate comments...."

Tom said:

"I think you may be wrong. You need to construct your blogs differently and explicitly ask for opinions from your readers. Ask 'What do you think?' "

Ok.... is Tom Peters right? Are people actually reading this blog but simply not commenting?
What do you think?

A big thanks to Judy Collins, our sponsors and all of our volunteers that made our Judy Collins Christmas in Vermont fundraising event a huge success! The article below is from THE MANCHESTER JOURNAL.

A Judy Collins Christmas in Vermont ... how sweet it was

by Anita Sandler

Some stars shine brighter than other stars, and Judy Collins' star was shining brightly, brilliantly, as she shared her light with all those lucky enough to be in the sold out audience Sunday at the Judy Collins Christmas Benefit for Clear Path International at the Dorset Playhouse.

The house lights dimmed then went black and an angelic voice filled the space of the Playhouse with a sound pure and clear enough to take the breathe away. Collins' voice is the same, only richer than when I first heard her in the folk days of the 60's and 70's.

Then the lights went up and the Dorset Church Choir was poised to sing, waiting for Collins to enter dressed in a long white satin gown, with her long glorious white hair, a picture of grace and elegance looking like a snow goddess, the perfect package to accompany the perfect voice. Playing her 12-string signature Martin guitar she began with "Joy to The World." In spite of a false start - she joked about it later as a momentary lapse of memory - a truly joyful noise erupted, blending Collins' voice with the dynamic of the choir. Jane Wood, the choir's competent musical director, and the choir members were obviously thrilled to be part of the evening's performance. Collins often looked over her shoulder to acknowledge them. In fact, she was so thrilled singing with the choir two years ago at her first Clear Path Benefit, that she asked for them back this year.



Collins' gift of compassion and giving was the reason she was in Dorset, to raise awareness and financial aid for Clear Path International, the philanthropic organization based in Dorset which helps the victims and families of those who have died or have been maimed by the unexploded bombs and landmines. The Founders of Clear Path were at the concert, several having just returned from Asia. James Hathaway spoke briefly about the cause.
Judy's political banter was appreciated and applauded by the audience. Her jokes and stories were all delivered with a gleam in her eye and a slight smile that pulled you right into her circle. She talked of her past, her musical history, her family and her politics, all with the ease of a friend sharing her life. She immediately made the audience feel comfortable. She laughed at herself, at politics, at aging. In every story there was a joy in the moment - that was what she intimately shared. She was truly present in the moment.
Collins' music director Russel Warden, accompanied her on the piano and was an important element in creating the night's musical perfection. Judy moved easily from guitar to piano and back but when she took the microphone in hand to sing Steven Sondheim's "Send In The Clowns," a performance for which she won a Grammy, you felt you were in the presence of perfection. Throughout the evening she interspersed her hit songs with her favorite Christmas songs, all sung with the Dorset Church Choir. It was wonderful hearing "Both Sides Now" and "Chelsea Morning" again, sounding the same if not better than when she first recorded them. She sang the first song she ever wrote and the last song she wrote, accompanying herself masterfully on the grand piano. The words of both songs were equally poetic and powerful, the first speaking of love between a man and a woman; and her last song searching for a more spiritual connection with life. Her main message was "believe in your dreams," something Judy Collins obviously knows a lot about.
When the concert ended and we walked back out into the warm Vermont night there was a communal feeling of having been given a precious gift - Judy Collins herself. What a world we live in that matches an artist and philanthropist like Judy Collins with a great cause like Clear Path, sending love, compassion and dollars to other parts of the world. Clear Path was the true star of the evening. With people like Judy Collins to inspire and elevate us, maybe we all made a difference just by raising our voices with Judy and The Dorset Church Choir in singing "Amazing Grace." How sweet the sound.
Anita Sandler is an artist, musician and freelance writer living in Manchester.

Burma: Landmines Kill, Maim and Starve Civilians

Clear Path International assists landmine surivors escaping Burma (Myanmar) on the Thai-Burma border.

Source: Human Rights Watch

The widespread use of landmines by the Burmese army against civilians to terrorize them and hamper the annual harvest season should cease, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burmese government is the only government in the world that has used antipersonnel mines on a regular basis throughout 2006. Villagers and relief workers told Human Rights Watch that since the start of the harvest season in November, Burmese army soldiers have been laying increasing numbers of antipersonnel landmines in front of houses, around rice fields, and along trails leading to fields in order to deter civilians from harvesting their crops. They believe this has caused an alarming rise in civilian casualties in Mon township and the rest of northern Karen state. Human Rights Watch has grave concerns over the safety of civilians in conflict zones and their deteriorating food security as a result of widespread landmine use by the Burmese army.

"In order to separate ethnic armed groups from their civilian population, the Burmese army lays landmines and other explosive devices in order to maim and kill civilians," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "This is a concerted policy aimed at denying people their livelihoods and food or forcing them to risk losing limbs or lives."
Last week, a Burmese army landmine planted in a kitchen in a village killed three men and wounded eight in the Baw Kwey Day area of Mon township in northern Karen state. The device was planted next to a fireplace in a private house.
Dozens of civilians have been injured and killed by landmines in northern Karen state during 2006 in one of the biggest Burmese army offensives in 10 years. According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmine's Landmine Monitor Report 2006, 231 people were killed or injured by landmines planted by government forces and non-state armed groups in 2005. Many more deaths and injuries go unreported.
Burmese soldiers have on many occasions used civilians as human minesweepers, forcing them to walk in front of government troops. Refugees and internally displaced persons call this "clearing the way" for Burmese soldiers; the UN special rapporteur for human rights has called this "atrocity demining," borrowing the phrase used by Landmine Monitor. Human Rights Watch has received reports that, to demine areas to be traversed by the Burmese army, soldiers from the 66th Light Infantry Division forced civilians from 12 villages in Toungoo district in December to walk or ride tractors ahead of troops on the road between Toungoo and Mawchi.
The Burmese government has sometimes charged people who have stepped on landmines a "fine" for destroying state property. If they die, their family must pay the levy, which amounts to approximately US$10, a large sum in Burma.
"Making the family of a mine victim pay for their death or injury is about as twisted and cruel an irony imaginable," said Adams. "Instead of fining victims, the government should stop using mines and provide assistance to all victims."
The government of Burma is not among the 152 states that have joined the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which comprehensively prohibits use, production, trade and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines. On October 26, 2006, prior to its vote against the annual UN General Assembly resolution supporting the treaty, the Burmese government stated, "We oppose the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines which causes death and injury to the innocent people all over the world," but insisted on its right to use mines for "self-defense." Yet Burmese forces use antipersonnel mines indiscriminately and as an offensive weapon against civilians and ethnic insurgents.
Many insurgent groups are also using landmines in Burma. According to Landmine Monitor, it is likely that the Karen National Liberation Army was the rebel group using mines most extensively in 2005 and 2006.
The Burmese army domestically manufactures its own antipersonnel mines. According to Landmine Monitor, Burma is now producing a variant of the US M14 blast mine, in addition to its long-standing production of versions of the Chinese Type 59 stake mine and Type 58 blast mine.
The Burmese government is violating international humanitarian law by using starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare. According to article 14 of the Second Additional Protocol of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions, which is considered reflective of customary international law: "Starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited. It is therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless for that purpose, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population such as food-stuffs, agricultural areas for the production of food-stuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works."
"The Burmese government has for too long targeted civilians with landmines and improvised explosive devices," said Adams. "Living in fear of these silent and indiscriminate weapons is a daily challenge for hundreds of thousands of civilians in conflict zones."

Bombs kill one boy, injure another in Central Vietnam

Central Vietnam- Explosive remnants of the Vietnam War have claimed their latest victims in Central Vietnam killing a 14 year old boy and injuring an 18 year old in two incidents over the past week.

Ho Van Hi, 18, was farming a kilometer from his home when he is believed to have struck a cluster munition with his hoe. He received extensive injuries in his legs and torso and is recovering in central Vietnam's Quang Tri General Hospital.

In another incident three days later, 14 year old Ho Van Vi and a friend discovered a decades old 105mm shell on a beach near their homes. Curious as to what it was, they threw rocks at it and the bomb exploded. Vi was killed instantly, however his companion escaped injury.

Although the Vietnam War ended over 30 years ago, by some estimates over 350,000 tons of bombs that did not detonate when dropped remain in the ground. This ordnance regularly claims lives and limbs.Since the conflict ended in 1975, nearly 40,000 Vietnamese have been killed by by these munitions.

US based Clear Path International serves landmine and bomb accident survivors, their families and their communities in former war zones in Southeast Asia. This assistance takes the form of both direct and indirect medical and social services to survivor families as well as equipment support to hospitals.

Current Clear Path projects are in Vietnam, Cambodia and on the Thai-Burma border. More information about Clear Path International can be found on the web at www.cpi.org.

FINANCE MANAGER NEEDED

Clear Path International is a growing non-profit organization providing assistance to landmine and bomb accident survivors, their families and their communities in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and along the Thai-Burma border.

Clear Path International is currently seeking a part-time Finance Manager to work in the Dorset, Vermont office. Candidate must have strong financial management background and extensive experience with the following:

� Quick Books

� Excel

� Word

� Federal Grants

� Foundation Grants

� Payroll

� General Non-Profit Financial Management

Interested candidates may submit a letter of inquiry to martha@cpi.org. Interviews will be scheduled after January 1st 2007.

Free Burma Rangers Report Landmine Use by Myanmar Army

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A FREE BURMA RANGER attends to a landmine victim in Myanmar.


The governmant of Myanmar continues to use landmines to terrorize ethnic minorities along the Thai - Myanmar border. The report below was posted on the FREE BURMA RANGERS website. Photos can be found at this link, however they are very graphic. Clear Path International supports clinics that serve landmine survivors escaping Myanmar along the border with Thailand.

After chasing the villagers away from the Baw Kwey Day (Ti Ko) area of Mon township, the Burma Army entered the village and placed this landmine under a fireplace with the triggering device/pressure plate buried in the ground close to the fireplace. A group of resistance soldiers (KNU) who were providing security for the displaced people in this area triggered this landmine/IED. Three died and eight more were injured, four of them seriously. The landmine/IED was not the normal type used by the Burma Army. The hole dug for the mine was over one and one half meters deep and 15 centimeters wide. The hole seemed to be dug by an auger or post hole digger. The device was triggered by a blasting cap and what seems to be a piece of detonation cord that was placed on a stump and ran down to the mine. When the men gathered around the fire they stepped on a pressure plate that fired the blasting cap and ignited the detonation cord that set off the mine. There was a delay of three seconds from the time the men heard the ignition and the explosion. It is possible that the mine also bounced up one meter before it exploded or this was an anti-vehicle shape-charge that directed the explosion straight up. One man suffered massive head trauma and died instantly, one man lost both legs and died instantly and one man died while being carried to a mobile clinic. The survivors are now being treated and when stabilized, some will need to be evacuated for more extensive medical care.

In this area over 5000 people have been displaced, most are in hiding and suffer from shortage of food and medicine. The Burma Army continues it patrols and laying of landmines. Two days walk North of this area the Burma Army continues to burn villages and on the 6th and 7th of December landed more troops by helicopter into a forward position. A total of over 25,000 people have been displaced in this offensive in the Northern Karen State.


The Burma Army is now using helicopters to move troops and supplies to Busakee Camp, Toungoo District, Karen State, Eastern Burma. Busakee is located at the terminus of the Toungoo- Baw Ga Lyi Gyi- Busakee road and is one of the launch points for the Burma Army for this offensive that has displaced over 25,000 this year. MOC 15 commanded by General Aung Nyeing, is headquartered at this base. Busakee is located at: Latitude/Longitude: N 18 44' 00" E 96 56' 10" British 1 inch, 1:63,360 Map: Map Sheet 94 B/14 473 705

6 December 2006 Two helicopters each made six round trips from Pyinmana to Busakaee Camp, dropping off 68 troops and one load of ammunition and rations. Arrival times: Between 0830-1630 hrs. (All times local Burma time).

7 December 2006 Two helicopters made three round trips each to drop off ammunition and rations and then one helicopter made a final flight and dropped of a load of men wearing white shirts and longyis. First flight arrived at Busakee Camp at 0830 (All times are local Burma time). Second flight arrived at 1130 and the third flight arrived at 1330 and the fourth flight of one helicopter arrived 1430. All helicopters have now returned to Pyinmana. (Note: The use of helicopters by the Burma Army to move troops at the front line is unusual.)

A Relief Team Leader
FBR

Clear Path Funds Girls' Education in Pakistan

To follow up on its relief shipments to Pakistan earlier this year, Clear Path International has funded the education of 55 girls and young women whose school was destroyed by a powerful earthquake that shook the region a year ago.

In March, Clear Path sent two containers of medical equipment, surgical supplies and orthopedic devices to Mensehra near the epicenter of the earthquake. One of the containers also included hundreds of bags of clothes, tents, sleeping bags, tools, household goods, school supplies and other in-kind donations from more than 100 amilies on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

One of the containers was funded by the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, whose members also assisted in the collection of the relief goods at Sakai Elementary. The other container was funded by Susila Dharma International based in Vancouver, B.C.

After the shipments, Susila Dharma International provided more than $3,000 to Clear Path to help support the schooling of the girls in the Siran Valley in temporary quarters set up by Pak Relief & Development Society, a Pakistani non-governmental organization. Clear Path hopes to do more with additional funding from Susila Dharma Britain, an affiliated organization in the United Kingdom.

Funding so far has paid for the hiring of three teachers, school supplies, rent, utilities and equipment to continue the girls' education interrupted by the natural disaster and until their school can be rebuilt.

Pak Relief & Development distributed the relief shipments from Clear Path and other relief organizations, providing tents, blankets and clothes to 1,000 households in Siran Valley. It has also distributed tin roof sheets, cement bags and tools for home reconstruction and crop seeds for the late summer harvest.

Rutland Herald: Small Vermont organization having big international impact

Source: The Rutland Herald, December 3, 2006
Small Dorset organization having big international impact

DORSET � A local nonprofit has attracted big names to its mission. Clear Path International, which helps victims of land mines and works with organizations that clear mines from battlefields, has recently garnered the support of the State Department and contributions from the likes of musicians such as folksinger Judy Collins.

Clear Path, which was started in Dorset by James and Martha Hathaway, received a pledge of $75,000 from the State Department this summer for a project in Cambodia and its administrators are also working to raise $60,000 in matching funds for another State Department grant for work in Vietnam.

According to the State Department, more than 60 countries have what may be active, unexploded land mines or other unexploded ordnance. Battlefield mines are frequently abandoned, leaving potentially fatal hazards for civilians.

James and Martha Hathaway of Dorset, who serve as Clear Path's executive director and board vice president respectively, founded Clear Path in 2001.

In the last five years, Clear Path has raised about 85 percent of the $325,000 needed to build a rice mill in Cambodia which will be used to train the victims of land mines in farming. They also continue to gather medical equipment and supplies which have been sent to more than 20 countries.

James Lawrence, director of partnership programs for the State Department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said government officials have begun to seek out partners in the private sector who can assist people whose lives have been altered by land mines.

"Clear Path has good local support, low overhead, they provide direct support to the people who need it. That's just the kind of things we look for," he said.

Clear Path projects employ local people in the countries where they provide support. Lawrence said the state department found those projects work better than having a large number of Americans or others from outside the affected country come in and take over.

James Hathaway says Clear Path also has the support of Vermonters. Much of the nonprofit's funding is raised right in Vermont. Hathaway said a combination of artists willing to perform for a good cause and inexpensive facilities make Vermont a good place to raise money for humanitarianism.

About 90 percent of the tickets for the Dec. 17 Judy Collins concert were already sold by Thursday. The concert is at the Dorset Playhouse in Dorset. Other Vermont fund-raisers have included contributions from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members John McEuen and Jimmy Ibbotson, who were joined onstage by Phish guitarist and singer Trey Anastasio, monologist Spalding Gray, musicians Ben and Sally Taylor, and Collins, who first performed in Dorset in 2004.

According to James Hathaway, Collins' first concert raised about $20,000. The performances are a good way to raise money, Hathaway said, because they are a painless way to support a somber cause.

"We don't hit people over the head with the sadness of what these folks (land mine victims) have gone through. We believe we can do serious things and have a good time while we're doing it," he said.

The Dorset Choir, who will perform with Collins as they did in 2004, is looking forward to another chance to perform with the singer known for her versions of the songs "Both Sides Now" and "Send in the Clowns."

Choral director Jane Wood says, "The first time was exhilarating and Judy was the most gracious person. � We're going to have a blast. This is going to be a tremendous holiday high for a lot of people."

About 25 members of the chorus, which regularly performs at the Dorset Congregational Church, will be part of the Dec. 17 concert.

To purchase tickets to Collins' performance or to contribute to Clear Path, visit their Web site at www.cpi.org.

Manchester Journal: Judy Collins to Benefit Clear Path International

From the Manchester Journal:

by Anita Sandler
Special to the Journal

Synchronicity happens. Judy Collins was one of my folk heroes. In the '60s, it was the voices and sounds of folk music that was the backdrop and soundtrack of our lives. and I chose Judy over Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. It was her voice. like an angel's. with high pitched perfection. her no-nonsense, straight from the heart vocals and her choice of songs that represented the side of good and beauty and clarity that inspired me to sing and to write songs. Judy Collins is not only a singer's singer, she is one of the decades most memorable vocalists and most respected spokesperson of a generation.

So, how did folk icon Judy Collins (who usually plays in venues of no less than 5,000 people) end up playing a second concert in our own 300 seat Dorset Playhouse is part synchronicity, part who you know. A friend of the Founder of Clear Path International, which was founded in Seattle and now based in Dorset, knew Holly Collins, Judy's sister - and one thing led to another and here's Judy in Vermont for the second time in two years. The first concert was such a magical transforming evening that Judy asked to do it again - requesting
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to be joined again by the Dorset Church Choir who accompanied her in 2004.

The concert will benefit Clear Path International, an organization born out of wanting to make the world a better place. They reach their philanthropic help, loving arms and compassionate energy all the way to Vietnam, Cambodia, the Thai-Burma border and most recently to Afghanistan serving the victims, survivors and the families of landmine and unexploded bomb accidents. Since the end of the Vietnam War, more than 6,000 people, mostly children, have died as a result of accidental explosions. Every week someone still gets hurt or aimed, at least 4,000 maimed for life. In Cambodia more than two million land mines wait to claim their next victim. Since 1970 approximately 80,000 Cambodians have been killed. Clear Path initially sponsored the removal of land mines and unexploded bombs, but now concentrates their efforts on helping accident survivors and their families with medical care, economic support, therapy, scholarships, direct medical and social services and well as equipment support for hospitals.

I asked James Hathaway, one of the founders of Clear Path, how he and the others deal with their anger over the injustice of all he sees. He told me, "Anger gives way to sadness. It's complicated to place blame. There is too much ahead to look behind." Hathaway sees Clear Path's work as apolitical and they see themselves as social activists; simply Americans helping those that need help. They have received help this year for the first time from the State Department and The Department of Weapons Removal and Abatement who will match up to $60,000 in contributions to Clear Path until the end of 2006 - so your ticket to see Judy Collins or your monetary contribution will actually be doubled.

For Judy, coming to Vermont, singing with The Dorset Choir and raising money and awareness for an important cause such as Clear Path is a magical combination. Like other folk singers of her generation, she was drawn to social activism. She represents UNICEF and is an advocate for Suicide Prevention. She marched for Civil Rights in the '60s and protested the war in the '70s. In 1994 she went to Vietnam which she called "a transforming experience." So her ties with the mission of Clear Path are close and on the surface. Most of the music she has created and continues to create she sees as "music of hope and healing that lightens the world and speaks to the heart. It is a voice that helps us heal."

Judy will be singing many of the songs she's made famous - her Grammy-winning "Both Sides Now" and "Send In The Clowns," along with "Amazing Grace" and many favorite Christmas classics. The Dorset Church Choir will accompany her the entire performance and will open for Judy. Jane Wood, Music Director of the Choir, started the group in 1993 and it has grown from six to 25 singers. They have played many different venues, but Jane feels that the musical experience of singing with Judy and working with her Music Director, Russel Warden, has been not only one of the most amazing experiences they've had, but fun as well. The idea of putting the choir together with Judy was the inspired idea of James Hathaway. Hathaway said that Judy was thrilled to be asked to do the concert and said "it was a fantastic experience."

The presenting sponsor for this event is Vermont Store Fixtures of Danby. There will be a raffle at the Playhouse of local products to benefit Clear Path. Tickets can be purchased and donations made by calling 800-595-4849 or online at www.cpi.org.

This is truly a rare opportunity to see a performer of Judy Collins' stature in such a personal setting at the Dorset Playhouse - and to be able to donate in this way to such an important cause as Clear Path - makes this evening all the more special and not to be missed.

The date is Dec. 17 at the Dorset Playhouse. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for "A Judy Collins Christmas in Vermont: A Benefit for Clear Path International."

Little Hope for Burmese Refugees in Thailand

Clear Path International has been assisting Burmese refugees on the Thailand - Myanmar border since 2001.

From the EPOCH TIMES:

Over half a million displaced Burmese fleeing aggressive military operations in Myanmar are creating a humanitarian disaster area along its border with Thailand.

Aid agencies maintain that Burmese troops have destroyed nearly 3,000 villages in the last ten years. They say an unmanageable health crisis is now developing in the refugee camps in Thailand that line the frontier.

"In displaced areas, one in five children will die before their fifth birthday," says Nobel peace laureate Dr. Cynthia Maung, who runs a medical camp on the turbulent Thai-Burma border.

Largely from Myanmar's ethnic minority Karen and Karenni groups, 140,000 Burmese refugees are sheltering in nine camps in isolated patches of jungle along the frontier.

Read the rest of the story here.

US military trains 'air force' of bomb-sniffing bees

US military defense scientists have found a way to train the common honey bee to smell explosives used in bombs, a skill they say could help protect American troops abroad.

Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico said in an online statement published Monday they had developed a method to harness the bee's exceptional olfactory sense.

"The new techniques could become a leading tool in the fight against the use of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, which present a critical vulnerability for American military troops abroad and is an emerging danger for civilians worldwide," the research laboratory said.

Read the rest of the article here.

BBC: New bomb clean-up treaty begins

New bomb clean-up treaty begins
By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

A new international law is coming into force requiring countries to clear up unexploded bombs and mines or pay teams of de-miners to do it. The treaty on explosive remnants of war covers ordnance such as land mines and cluster bombs.

At the same time, in Geneva, a UN arms review conference is under way amid growing pressure on member states to discuss a ban on cluster bombs.

Read more here on the BBC web site here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6140530.stm

Success for MAG's all-female demining team

Success for MAG's all-female demining team: via http://www.mag.org.uk/page.php?s=2&p=5994
In recognition of their outstanding efforts to save lives, MAG's Cambodian all-female demining team was awarded the Niarchos Prize for Survivorship at a special award luncheon held on 1st November in New York City. MAG Executive Director, Lou McGrath and two representatives from the team, Supervisor Pin Srey On and Project Officer Yean Maly, accepted the $25,000 prize "for [the team's] excellence in service to save lives under the most difficult circumstances."

The team began operations in 2003 as the first ever demining team to be comprised entirely of women. Over the past three years the team's 15 members have worked to make land safe by clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) and edicating local communities about the dangers posed by these explosive devices.

For MAG, the work done to reduce the suffering caused by the remnants of conflict has never been a gender issue. After receiving the award, Lou McGrath said, "Landmines impact all members of the community - male and female alike. It only makes sense that both should have the opportunity to be a part of the solution."

The prestigious award was presented by Ken Rutherford, Co-founder of Landmine Survivors Network (LSN). It was established by the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation and is given annually to an individual and organisation who promote resilience and recovery among victims of war, conflict, civil strife and terrorism in conflict and post conflict societies.

Judy Collins to Perform War Victim Benefit Concert in Vermont

Dorset, Vermont- The legendary Judy Collins is set to perform a benefit concert in Dorset, Vermont on December 17th at the Dorset Playhouse to aid civilian victims of war in Vietnam, Cambodia and along the Thailand - Myanmar border.

The Christmas themed concert will be her second for the Vermont-based landmine and bomb victim assistance organization Clear Path International.

" When Judy performed in 2004 it was a truly magical night" said event organizer Terri Hathaway, a volunteer for Clear Path International who has traveled multiple times to Vietnam with the program "She had such a wonderful time and was so impressed by our home town choir that she said 'call me anytime you want me to come back' so we did!"

Ms Collins, who will again be performing with the local choir, has thrilled audiences worldwide for more than 40 years with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes. Best known for her Grammy Hall of Fame rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and her award-winning version of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns," Judy Collins made her first public debut at age 13, performing Mozart on the piano. But it was the music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and the emerging folk era that sparked Judy Collins' love of lyrics and lifelong affair with the guitar.

This event will be a benefit performance for Clear Path International and is open to the public. Based in Dorset, Vermont, Clear Path assists landmine and bomb accident survivors in Vietnam, Cambodia and on the Thai-Burma border.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 800-595-4849 or by visiting www.cpi.org

Cabot Orton: Eyes Open

Vietnam is staggering. We're immediately confronted by a landscape of astonishing beauty, a history freighted with strife and suffering and preternatural hardship, a people who sublimely embody grace and perseverance. Listen to me: yank yourself out of comfort and relative ease and see this place, meet these people, see where they've been and where they are going. In doing so you will give yourself a tremendous gift that will endure, never to be forgotten.

My hosts are James and Martha Hathaway, good friends and tireless champions of a cause that's mercifully begun to receive global attention. Every amputation, smashed limb, scarred face, mangled body is a signpost suggesting weapons that were, mournfully, built to last. James and Martha are fortunate to have a wonderful, talented staff that lives daily with this ruinous legacy, tending to victims of the mines and bombs that continue to shatter families and destroy lives.

There's so much more to Vietnam than tragedy- that's the lovely surprise. Midnight street vendors in Saigon, water buffalo grazing on rice paddies pockmarked by bomb craters, hundreds of delighted children tearing around a schoolyard, verdant green hills that humble a Vermonter, smiles upon smiles from the warmest, most gracious people you will ever have the fortune to come across. Bob, Sarah and I have been here three days and can't remember arriving; the level of constant emotional and sensory impact we're experiencing tends to capture awareness, trapping sense of time like a bug in amber. I've never felt more present and more alive.

If you're out there reading this, please know there will be more and better in days to come.

Bob Allen: I Cried Today for the First Time

I have been in Vietnam for five days and felt like crying every day. The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City heightened my sense of guilt and shame for a 30 year-old war. The pictures of death and destruction brought back dormant emotions I had long since thought I had put behind me. I refused to serve in the war, but have always felt that I could have done more to end the war sooner. Lives could have been saved. The graphic pictures of lost and damaged lives made me very sad, but I did not cry.

Traveling through the countryside from Hue to Dong Ha I saw bomb craters everywhere. Just outside Dong Ha we passed an area that had been completely denuded by Agent Orange. 30 years later there are still very few trees. Fertile farm land had been turned into a desert. In my lifetime this area will see little change.

This morning we toured the Vinh Moc tunnels were more than 200 people lived for more than 4 years as much as 75 feet below ground. The sign at the entrance to the museum read "To be or not to be" The choice was to remain alive and live below ground, or risk near certain death by continuing to live above ground in a spectacularly beautiful oceanside farming community. They choose life and no casualites were ever reported. 17 children were born there and lived the first years of their lives in darkness and fear. Still there were no tears.

This afternoon we visited a school founded by Clear Path in Dong Ha. The school serves about 375 students, in two shifts. 24 teachers work to help provide the opportunity for a better life. As we entered the gates we were literally surrounded by beautiful, smiling, cheerful faces. The joy I felt was indescribable. The welcome could not have been more heatfelt and came at just the right time. The children must know about the American war and have heard stories from parents and grand parents. They welcomed our group of Americans with open arms. There was no fear, no anger. I felt only love and joy and then I cried.

I began this trip with real anxiety about the how I would react to what I knew I would see. I expected tears of sadness and was given the gift of tears of joy. It has for me revived my belief that people and organizations like Clear Path can make a real difference in people's lives and that one day we may truly learn to live in peace.

CPI Group Trip: The First Days are the Hottest Days

The group on our trip through the jungle on day 3.

Hello from Dong Ha Town, Quang Tri Province, Vietnam! This region is one of the most heavily bombed areas in the history of the world. More bombs were dropped here than in World Wars I and II combined, which is why the Clear Path International office is here. We have served over 2500 peacetime landmine and bomb accident survivors in this and surrounding provinces since our founding in 2000.

Our group (Cabot Orton, Sarah Judd, Bob Allen, Martha and me) is having an incredible adventure here in Vietnam. The first days were a real adjustment from Vermont as Saigon was REALLY hot for us pale, New England travelers. While in Saigon we traveled the city on motos (scooters), the prefered source of travel for CPI while in country... cheap, fast, and most importantly, fun.

A visit to the War Remnants Museum gave our trip context. The display of war victims is truly heart wrenching... there is one, small section of the museum which addresses ongoing UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents... at least we could feel we were making a difference at least in this area.

After the museum, with heavy hearts, we visited Reunification Palace... you may have seen images of tanks crashing the gates here to end the war in 1975. The place has been preserved pretty much in the same state it was then... much of the place resembles a James Bond set... complete with a gambling room, small movie theater, a party area on the roof and a helicopter pad in the back...

We then flew to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam... the weather was much cooler with sporadic, heavy rains. Here, again, we rented motos for a trip deep into the jungle and then a hike over some rough trails to a beautiful waterfall where I could not resist the urge to get under the massive amounts of water coming down from the mountains. The moto trip was about an hour and a half longer than we anticipated, so to save ourselves from having to travel at night through the jungle rain on our scooters, we rented a van and our moto drivers made the trip back on their own. I am sure they were just as thrilled as we were... they got to get rid of their much heavier American passengers and zip home.

Today the group, as I mentioned above, arrived here in Dong Ha. We have already met with the Foreign Relations Dept here and had a wonderful dnner of local food and insane amounts of beer (for some of us... ). I will write more in the coming days.


Please do see more photos of our trip here.

Clear Path Group Arrives in Ho Chi Minh City

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City! Our group arrived safely this morning at around 11:30am local time.... our trajectory Vermont> Albany,NY>Newark, NJ> Seattle, WA> Taipei> Ho Chi MInh City... all tolled over 30 HOURS!

Chi from the Vietnam office met us at the airport and we spent the day primarily being tourists in this increasingly busy city.

Below is the whole group engaging in our first toast of the trip, which tradition dictates must be made on the rooftop of the Rex Hotel.



Form left to right: James Hathaway, Martha Hathaway, Sarah Judd, Bob Allen, Cabot Orton, and Tran Hong Chi.
We'll be posting our photos to the CPI flicker page here.

Release: Eastern Burma is now one of the world�s worst health disasters

Clear Path International supports a group of medical technicians from the Karen Handicap Welfare Association who go with members of the Back Pack Health Workers Team to measure, deliver and fit prostheses for internally displaced Karen landmine accident survivors inside Myanmar. This is the backpackers' dire assessment of the general health conditions in which their people live.

Eastern Burma is now one of the world�s worst health disasters

The report entitled �Chronic Emergency,� released by the Backpack Health Worker Team (BPHWT), is the result of systematic surveys in communities of internally displaced persons living in the eastern conflict zones of Burma and provides the first glimpse of their health status.

The report shows that decades of civil war have decimated the health of these populations, with standard health indicators ranking this area amongst the worst in the world. The report also demonstrates that human rights abuses such as forced relocation, violence, forced labor, and the destruction of food and crops are common and serve as major drivers of the health crisis.

Launching the report, Thai Senator Jon Ungphakorn, a member of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, blamed the Burmese regime for the ongoing health crisis in eastern Burma.

�With abysmal statistics like these, it is no wonder the regime tries so hard to hide them from the world. The Burmese military junta is the source of the problem, not only through its abuses and neglect of the welfare of the people, but also through increasing restrictions on humanitarian aid efforts, particularly to ethnic minorities living in rural Burma.�

The BPHWT are a multi-ethnic group of mobile medical teams serving displaced people in Eastern Burma. Dr Cynthia Maung, a founding member of the BPHWT, recipient of the Magsaysay Award and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2005, says eastern Burma is a humanitarian disaster zone.

�One out of twelve women may lose their life giving birth. Displaced people are 2.4 times more likely to have a child die than people not displaced. Their children, if they do survive, are more likely to be malnourished. Most of these deaths and illnesses are preventable.�

According to statistics from international agencies such as UNICEF, Burma�s national figures for infant and child mortality already rank amongst the worst in Southeast Asia. Adds Dr. Maung, �In eastern Burma it is even worse, infant and child mortality is twice as high. In displaced areas, one-in-five children will die before their fifth birthday and over 15 percent of children suffer from malnutrition.�

Despite the scale of the crisis, the junta has instead exacerbated the situation, launching the biggest offensive in eastern Burma for a decade in February of this year, displacing an additional 18,000 people.

The BPHWT report concludes that without addressing the factors which drive this health crisis, such as the human rights abuses and inability to access healthcare services, there can be no sustainable solution to this chronic emergency.

For more information please contact:

- Dr. Cynthia Maung ( phone. 09-9615054 )
Note: ( 18:00 to 21:00 hrs Bangkok Local Time)

- Mahn Mahn ( phone. 07-9438750 )



To see the full report please visit www.bphwt.org

A New Addition to the Clear Path Family

If you have seen the home page of our web site, you have probably seen the smiling face of Ho Thi Ha. Ha was injured when she was three years old by a white phosphorous bomb. Her burns were so severe that the calves of her legs fused to to the backs of her thighs. She spent much of her life on her knees until one day a few years ago she hitchhiked to a Clear Path Outreach Clinic...in the last year, thanks to CPI support, she started walking again for the first time since she was three ....you can read more of her story here and here.

A couple weeks ago, "our" Ha became a mother! We could not be more happy to add another little one to the Clear Path family.

Demining in Cambodia at risk as funding dries up

Source: Taipei Times

Demining in Cambodia at risk as funding dries up
AFP , PHNOM PENH
Sunday, Oct 15, 2006

Demining worldwide has been undermined by a sharp drop in funding, and Cambodia is among more than a dozen countries which will likely fail to meet their mine clearance targets as donor money dries up.

The government's demining agency, the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), has lost a fifth of its funding this year, director general Khem Sophoan said.

Read the rest of this article here.

The pictures below are from our landmine survivor vocational skills training classes right on the Mekong River in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.

AP: Nations to form land-mine removal center

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Defense ministers from across the Americas agreed Wednesday to create an international land-mine removal center and many called for joint military missions for disaster relief and peacekeeping worldwide.


Read more here.

Landmine Frisbee Campaign in Singapore Raises Awareness of Clear Path International

To help raise awareness of the landmine crisis worldwide, and the work of Clear Path International, Rapp Collins of Singapore created frisbees that look like landmines and volunteers are tossing them around the city. When someone picks one up, a message on the other side tells the person doing so that the simple act of picking up what you think is a toy in landmine plagued communities can get you killed... it then encourages people to go to the web site of Clear Path International (http://www.cpi.org) to help landmine and bomb survivors.

Quite often children are killed by explosive remnants of war by thinking the bombs/mines are toys... this is a brilliant campaign!

Thank you to David Chee of Rapp Collins!

UPDATE: It is important to note that SINGAPORE is not an area where landmines are a problem. There have been a few comments where people have voiced concerns about children learning to pick up landmines due to this campaign.... that is not at all likely.

Thank you to BoingBoing for picking up this post as well as Houtlust.

Father of Micro Lending, Muhammad Yunus, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Wow.....! Micro-credit gets its due. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.... Clear Path also takes part in micro-credit/micro-granting programs in Cambodia and Vietnam. In Vietnam, we grant pigs to landmine and bomb surivivors to raise. The first litter of pigs is then donated back into the program, therefore repaying the beneficiaries debt to the program...

Here is more on Mahammad Yannus and the Grameen Bank's Nobel Peace Prize award.

The picture below is Nhi from the Vietnam office. Nhi heads up our pig granting program.

Mines to Vines Founder Blogs from Afghanistan

Founder of Mines to Vines, Heidi Kuhn, is currently blogging form Afghanistan... here is an excerpt:

Dr. Cairo has dedicated his life to this ICRC Clinic in Kabul for the past 17 years, and his professional demeanor is complimented by an incredible sense of humor. As he courageously greets his Afghan �friends� each day, he constantly reminds them that they are not landmine victims, but rather landmine survivors! His medicine is effective in healing the human spirit, as the Afghan smiles greet him as he energetically glides around the facility exuding his Italian charisma.

You can read more of her blog here: http://newrootsinafghanistan.blogspot.com/

Muppets teach children a land mine lesson

Thank you to Ray Doherty for sending this our way. Clear Path's Martha and Kristen met with Fazil, the director of the the Afghan organization featured in the piece below on their recent trip to Afghanistan.

From the Christian Science Monitor:

Muppets teach children a land mine lesson
A British charity helps avert tragedy with a children's video on how to spot mines buried throughout Afghanistan.
By Rachel Morarjee | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN � "Bang!" The little puppet boy steps on a mine, and now he only has one leg. The Afghan children watching the video at a school on a Kabul hillside gasp.
Puppets have long been used to entertain and to teach children basic lessons such as how to count and the letters of the alphabet.

Now in Afghanistan the creators of Muppet stars Miss Piggy and Fozzy Bear have teamed up with two charities to teach children a lesson in survival: how not to get killed or maimed by the millions of land mines still buried in the Afghan soil.

Read the rest of the article here.

United States Helps to Clear Lebanon of Explosive Remnants of War

Source U.S. Department of State Press Release

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 4, 2006
Update on United States Aid to Lebanon to Clear Explosive Remnants of War

The United States is committed to reducing the risk to Lebanese civilians posed by explosive remnants of war. From 1998 to the recent conflict, the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program invested more than $17 million dollars to rid Lebanon of persistent landmines and explosive remnants.

Since the onset of the most recent conflict, the United States has dedicated more than $9 million more for quickly and safely clearing these hazards:

* The Department of Defense transferred $5 million to the Department of State, with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) receiving $2.8 million, and $2.2 million contracted through RONCO Consulting Corporation supporting the Lebanese Army Engineer Regiment�s clearing cluster munitions and other unexploded ordinance in south Lebanon.

* The Department of State�s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs provided an initial emergency grant of $420,000 to the MAG. The office also provided an initial $30,000 supporting the United Nations Joint Logistics Center for explosive remnants of war data collection and mapping capability in Lebanon, through its partnership with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. RONCO Consulting Corporation received $384,000, equipping two, 25-person teams to sweep for and mark explosive remnants of war for safe removal.

* The Department of State�s Bureau of International Organization Affairs is providing $2 million to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to sustain the operations of UNDP-controlled explosive clearance teams provided by the MAG and BACTEC International Limited.

* The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded a grant of $1.2 million to the MAG for emergency unexploded ordnance and battle area clearance.

For more information on United States assistance to Lebanon, see the 6th edition of "To Walk the Earth Safety" at www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth/2006.

Thailand - Myanmar Border: Every dead end street has a side street leading somewhere

The Care Villa, it sounds like a nice place, convenient and relaxing. I have to admit, it is a very special place. The people who live there; the people who dedicate themselves to care for them; the atmosphere� it�s one of those places that you will never forget once you�ve been there. I had been there one time before, a few weeks ago, together with Imbert, Wolfgang, Lori and James to record songs.

It had been a very impressive day and their need for help stayed in my mind ever since. Last week I finally got the opportunity to go back into Mae La refugee camp, back to the Care Villa. My mission was to evaluate the needs and possibilities of all the 16 men living there together. This time, things were different: actually, things were normal.

A normal day, one of many others. For the residents of Care Villa a normal day consists of waking up early, of struggling to get dressed, of being fed, of needing help at the toilet, of finding the way on the touch, of asking a friend to scratch your mosquito bites, of accidentaly bumping into the wooden pillars, of frustration when the mug slips away between the stumps, of sitting, of waiting for the day to pass by. I was there, amongst them, with them, for them. I wanted to get to know the daily routine. I wanted to get to know them. I observed, I saw and I listened. But I didn�t dare to imagine, to be honest.

That�s what I normally do: imagine what it must be like to live with the limitations other people have to face. But the idea of losing both my eyes and my hands makes me simply freak out. I just wouldn�t know what to do. Try it yourself, maybe just for 10 minutes. And no cheating with all sorts of luxurous facilities or tools! No guiding dogs, no 24 hours personal care, no speaking computers, no automatic lights, no sound devices, no high-tech prosthesis controlled by brain activity. Add the imagination of living in a refugee camp, forced to leave your home country, maybe still suffering from nightmares about that life-changing moment when you touched that landmine, not being able to take care of your family in a culture where this might be the most important thing in life.

I got to know them. At least a little bit: the part that they wanted to share with me. Their history, their thoughts, their frustrations, their dreams, their stories. �A group of landmine survivors� became individual persons. Handicaps became challenges. Every dead end street has a side street leading somewhere. We only have to walk down the road first before we can see what�s around the corner.

Clear Path doesn�t turn its back on (what seems to be) a dead end street. We cannot fix eyes, hands or legs. We cannot turn back time or solve the issues in Burma. But we can look for possibilities, a side street, a change of direction; just small things that can make a big difference.

Microsoft Turns Landmines into Flowers

Looks like the landmine movement will soon reach the desktop. Microsoft is changing the game MINESWEEPER to placate those who thought the game was insensitive to landmine plagued communities worldwide. With the Vista release you will be able to, at least virtually, turn landmines into flowers...

from shellrevealed.com:

There have always been a small but persistent group of users who disliked minesweeper as a concept because they felt it trivialized the problem of land mines. For those of us living in North America, land mines are an abstract entity that you really only see in a movie, but in many parts of the world people are killed or maimed by mines on a daily basis....

One of the realities of making something with the reach of Windows is that it is almost impossible not to offend someone somewhere with anything you do....

In the minesweeper case, since we were doing a re-write anyway, we thought it would a good time to address these concerns. We added a preference that allows users to change it from looking for mines in a minefield to looking for flowers in a flower field. Now, personally I am not a fan of using flowers here - I mean, you WANT to find flowers, right? - but this was an established alternative in the market and none of the other ideas we had (dog poo? penguins?) could pass the legal/geopolitcs/trademark/etc. hurdles

Even I think this is kind of silly, but since they started... why stop there? Why not put an option into the game to turn a real minefield into flowers with a link (for those users who find the thought of virtual mines on their computers repugnant) to donate to relief groups that remove REAL mines? Groups like Mines Advisory Group, HALO Trust and Adopt-a-Minefield can always use the money. Now THAT would make a difference.

A Slideshow from the Thailand - Myanmar Border

Click here for a slideshow of recent images from Clear Path funded clinics along the Thailand - Myanmar border.

Vietnam: Explosive Remnants of War Incident Report from January 2006 to September 2006

Over the last year Clear Path International's Vietnam staff has been working to create a database for reporting on accidents involving explosive remnants of war that are reported to us and to which we have responded to give assistance. These reports are only the incidents to which we (CPI) have responded and are not representative of the country as a whole...

That being said, the linked PDF is a basic report on incidents from January 1, 2006 to September 2, 2006. This is the first time we have posted information from this database.

CPI responded to incidents involving 73 different victims ranging in severity from minor injury to death. Ages of victims over this period were as low as four years old. Most of the victims are male.

PDF: Clear Path International Vietnam Explosive Remnants of War Incident Report: January 1, 2006- September 2, 2006

In the photo below, Clear Path's Nhi (far right) responds to an incident resulting in death in Central Vietnam's Quang Tri Province.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES BURMA: The Never-Ending Myanmar Nightmare

This is good news... perhaps finally something will be done to address the laundry list of horrific crimes against humanity being commited by the Myanmar government....

The Never-Ending Myanmar Nightmare

By Daniel Pepper in Yangon

For well over a decade, the military junta in Myanmar has been trying to bring the Karen ethnic minority under its thumb. This year, the offensive has intensified -- magnifying the ongoing refugee disaster in Southeast Asia. The UN, finally, has decided to pay more attention.

Read the article here.

The Beds Fit Sideways | The Clear Path International Medical Supplies Donation Program

The heavy electrical bed frames from the donor in Issaquah had to go sideways on a wheeled furniture dolly to go through the door opening. It was a little extra trouble, but that was nothing new for this crew of volunteers, old hands at the movement of medical equipment and supplies for Clear Path or at least old hands at our whacky resourcefulness.

The space we�re using to store the 12 beds from Marianwood Nursing Home and many other items we�re storing for our next shipment is donated by Total Reclaim, Seattle-based recycling firm that lets us use a portion of their warehouse that used to be a large corner office.

It goes nicely with the old cargo van donated to us by a Bainbridge Island electrician and with the fact we never pay for shipping to get our items to the hospitals in the developing world. That usually gets taken care of by a great partner organization in Canada, Universal Aide Society and sometimes Rotary. We only really pay for large truck rentals and occasional day laborers to help out with a very large shipment or when I can�t find volunteers. The equipment and supplies themselves are all donated by hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in the region, even by individuals who can�t give their wheelchair, crutches or beds back to the insurance companies.


Before we moved to this warehouse, we had space at Kevin Sutherland�s location. He owns a business in commercial flooring and let us use a corner of his warehouse. Both locations have been near Boeing Field in Seattle. You can only imagine what we would have to pay for space in such a prime location close to the Port of Seattle.
Craig Lorch, who owns Total Reclaim, is a good guy. He read an article about our search for donated warehouse in the Seattle P-I and called us. At the warehouse, he also accommodates a nonprofit project collecting bicycles for Ghana. Every time I see those bikes, I think about �Emmanuel�s Gift,� a film documentary about a young disabled man who overcomes obstacles to becoming a bicycle racer, ends up winning all these sporting events and become an advocate for persons with disabilities in Ghana.
You have to consider that babies born with disabilities are routinely poisoned or left to die alone in western Africa; those who survive face a lifetime of begging on the streets and rejection as outcasts. That is a lot like the landmine survivors we support in Southeast Asia. Not that they are poisoned or left to die. The Asian countries where we work are far too family-oriented for that. But those around the family often ostracize the disabled.
Emmanuel did not want this to happen to him. Born with a malformed right leg, he shined shoes for $2 a day and refused to accept his country's superstitious shunning of the disabled. On a bicycle supplied by the California-based Challenged Athletes Foundation, Emmanuel rode almost 380 miles across Ghana and discovered his calling in life: to improve the lives of the two million disabled Ghanaians.
I watched the movie with Karen, my wife, and Niko, my eight-year-old son who is quite athletic. He loved it and still talks about it. Among all the sensory-overloading kids movies out there, this was a real gem of a film, deeply moving and inspiring.
Back at the warehouse, we were adding the beds to many other items we�re getting ready for a shipment to a hospital in San Miguel, El Salvador. The shipping is sponsored by Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island and Brent Olson, a member of the club�s World Service Committee, was on hand to, well, lend a hand. We sent this hospital a container of equipment already. But they still need more.
The community of San Miguel was one of those hit by hurricane Mitch some years ago and received a large grant from donors in Spain to build a hospital. But there wasn�t enough money to equip or supply it. In the second container we�re sending, we�ll include beds, all the machinery for a full x-ray room, casting supplies, surgical items and many other goods.
We�re collecting other items at the warehouse for the Alert Hospital in Ethiopia, which is supported by the Clinton Foundation to build a new pediatric wing. The hospital treats HIV+ patients and provide medical care for thousands of patients. For them we pediatric gurneys, an infant radiant warmer, electronic fetal heart rate monitors, breast pumps and sleeper chairs for parents and babies together. We will also be on the lookout for surgical supplies to include. Other upcoming shipping destinations include Laos, Cambodia and the Congo.
There is an ongoing stream of goods flowing through our program. Since 2001, we�ve sent 62 containers with $4 million worth of medical equipment and supplies to hospitals in 23 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Before we moved to Craig�s warehouse, we completed a series of five container shipments from a large donations we got from Group Health. That will be the subject for my next blog.

And Then There's The Coup...

And so, just like that, Thailand decides to change its visa requirements. The legal visa runs (a �visa run� is a process where you cross the border and then come back in order to gain another one-month stamp in your passport) are being limited to a maximum of two. So, on a tourist visa you can only stay in Thailand for a maximum of 90 days. Then you have to leave the country for at least 90 days. And well, let�s start from October 1st. New month, new rules. No exceptions. Most volunteers stay here on tourist visa, so many of us are affected by this new rules. In fact, it will have a big impact on the Mae Tao Clinic, which is dependant on volunteers. Due to this new system, a lot of people will only be able to stay for a relatively short time, which makes it very hard (not to say impossible) to maintain a continuous flow of foreign input. It affects me as well; I have to finish my activities and leave the clinic several weeks earlier than I had planned. For me it�s just an unexpected change of plans, which you have to deal with. But for all the people here it is yet another obstacle on their way to further development. Although I know that it�s not my own choice to cut them from my little piece of help, I feel very bad to tell them. The powerless disappointment in their eyes is hitting me. And suddenly I realize how much more I got attached to this work, these people, this area more than I thought.

And then, there�s the coup. Another unexpected change, more dust being stirred up, more insecurities, more uncertain and unpredictable factors. The day after the coup, there�s a strange atmosphere at the clinic. They shut down the border, so it is quiet. Unsettling quiet. I have to do my visa run in a few days but again I can not worry about it too much.

What really concerns me, is not my own personal hassle, but much more the people at the clinic; the staff, the patients and their families. I can take a plane out of here if I have to. But they can�t. I am legal here. They�re not. I can go back to my home country, where a safe base awaits me. They can only hope that the Thai army will not follow the path that their colleagues nextdoors are on. And once again I don�t know what to say, when one of the medics make me look at it that way. And again that unforgettable look in those eyes, staring at the horizon. I just sit next to them for a moment, trying to look at the same point, but I know I could never see the same as they do.

A medic has stopped by and asks my help with a patient. Back to work, no time to waste!

Nobelity: Purchase this critically acclaimed film and help Clear Path

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Directed by award winning writer Turk Pipkin, Nobelity addresses
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but will seriously affect the lives of our children and grandchildren.

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When you purchase this film 50% of the proceeds will go to Clear
Path International. Nobelity is a unique opportunity for all of
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Click the banner below to purchase this important film.

Three Men Dead: Wartime ordnance continues to kill in Vietnam

Many people are injured or killed in Vietnam and other post conflict zones while scavenging scrap metal from bombs that failed to explode when initially dropped. Sadly, stories like the one below are all too common.

This story is from the September 22 edition of Than Nien.

American wartime ordnance continues to kill in Vietnam

Three men were killed in Vietnam�s southern Dong Nai province Thursday while sawing an unexploded US artillery shell left from the Vietnam War 30 years ago.

Two of the middle-aged victims, Nguyen Van Hanh and Nguyen Van Nam, who were killed by the 105mm shell, earned their livelihoods by searching for and selling American wartime ordnance, according to a source.

Another 15 mortar shells were found at Nam�s house awaiting the hacksaw.

In 1996 Hanh�s brother was killed in a similar accident.

Many Vietnamese earn their living by hunting for American wartime munitions from which they extract the explosive.

The US military used more than 15 million tons of bombs, mines, artillery shells, and other kinds of munitions during the Vietnam War.

It is estimated that up to 10 per cent of these failed to explode.

Since the war ended in 1975, more than 38,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 injured as a result of this unexploded ordnance, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

'After the War�the Killing Continues' Photo Exhibit on Bainbridge Island, WA

Photojournalist Erin Fredrichs accompanied a small group from Clear Path International on a three-week tour of its landmine survivor assistance programs in Southeast Asia last year. The compelling and deeply moving photographs Fredrichs took are now on display at Grace Episcopal Church on Bainbridge Island, Washington (near Seattle) through mid October. The pictures are a selection from Fredrich�s Master�s thesis project, �After the War�the Killing Continues,� towards her degree at Ohio University.



The photographs are a reminder of the lasting legacy of war in the form of unexploded landmines, bombs and anti-personnel devices that maim and kill long after the guns fall silent. But it also draws attention to the efforts of Clear Path International to assist injured accident victims and support their communities.

The images were taken at or around the areas where Clear Path has an active survivor assistance program in central Vietnam, eastern and western Cambodia, and along the troubled Thai-Burma border. They range from the dramatic abundance of leftover explosives and the resulting, devastating limb and eyesight loss to the introduction of new prosthetics technology in remote areas and an elementary school built on a former military base.

Fredrichs, 27, is now a news photographer at the Albuquerque Tribune in New Mexico. Before completing her Master�s in Photojournalism at Ohio University, she received a Bachelor�s degree in the same subject from Western Washington University in Bellingham. She hopes to return to SE Asia soon to do a second photo essay on the landmine problem.

The show, materials and Fredrichs trip to the region in 2005 were sponsored by the East West Foundation, Sound Reprographics, Colortone Inc., Roby King Galleries and Clear Path International.

Thomas Nash: It's time to outlaw these ruthless killers

Originally published here.

I was in Lebanon in July 2005 on a trip to document the residual problem from cluster bombs used in 1978 and 1982. Unexploded cluster munitions were still claiming lives more than two decades after that conflict. I recently returned from another trip to Lebanon where I saw that a whole new wave of devastation from cluster bombs is beginning.

The use of cluster munitions in Lebanon was an outrage. It was known before they were used that they would kill and injure civilians in populated areas because of their inaccurate dispersal pattern. It was known that cluster munitions would leave hundreds of their submunitions unexploded to terrorise civilians returning to rebuild their lives.

With a ceasefire in sight, Israel launched millions of cluster bomblets throughout towns and villages in the last 72 hours of the war. The mounting toll of civilian deaths and injuries and the deadly unexploded ordnance contamination that will blight Lebanon for years to come were all predictable, foreseeable and preventable.

Most of the submunitions used in Lebanon look like torch batteries with ribbons and others look like tennis balls. They are a deadly attraction for children who make up about 30 per cent of the casualties.

What can be done about the cluster bomb infested fields of south Lebanon? While we cannot reverse the consequences of Israel's use of cluster munitions, we can work to prevent use of the weapon in future conflicts. Pressure to this end from civil society groups has been growing through the international Cluster Munition Coalition that now has more than 170 member groups, such as Human Rights Watch in the US, Handicap International in France and Europe and Landmine Action in the UK. Despite opposition within governments to a new law, campaigners against cluster bombs have begun to show results.

This year, even before the tragedies in Lebanon, Belgium banned the weapon and Norway declared a moratorium on its use. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland are all calling for an international instrument, such as a convention on cluster munitions. Other user states, such as the UK, refuse even to discuss cluster munitions in international forums.
States parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons will meet for their five-year Review Conference in Geneva in November. If governments do not launch immediate negotiations for an international instrument on cluster munitions, then they will be failing the people of Lebanon and failing the citizens of their own countries, in whose name governments use and stockpile this unjust weapon.
While massive challenges remain for Lebanon, history may provide us with useful lessons. In 1974, 13 countries proposed a ban on cluster munitions at a diplomatic conference in Switzerland. In the 30 years since that proposal failed, cluster munitions have been used in Iraq, Chechnya, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. The tragic situation in south Lebanon is just the latest example of what happens when cluster munitions are used.
The massacre at My Lai spurred the public conscience to put an end not only to the Vietnam War, but also to the use of napalm, the incendiary weapon. The toll from landmines in Cambodia, Angola and Afghanistan prompted some countries to embark on a new process that banned landmines.
The civilian toll from cluster munitions in Lebanon may turn out to be a similar turning point.
Thomas Nash is the co-ordinator at Cluster Munition Coalition, stopclustermunitions.org

Israeli Cluster Bombs Litter South Lebanon Endangering Children

Tonight I am linking to a piece on the impact of cluster bombs in Lebanon. While the debate over Israeli - Arab politics is not what this blog is about, the humanitarian disaster in Lebanon is very real. Our friends at Mines Advisory Group are cleaning up the deadly mess... but here is a piece that goes into detail about cluster bombs on the ground now endangering innocent lives in Lebanon.

The young man pictured inside his house is named Hussein. He is five years old and he was on �time out� when this photo was taken at 4:30 pm on Thursday August 30, 2006. Hussein had just been reprimanded by his father. The reason for the chastisement was that Hussein had been outside playing in a field behind his house picking up �toys�. The bucket shown below is his proud collection of U.S. M-42 cluster bomblets. Some boys think the M-42�s are �lighters� or �batteries�. Some girls told this observer that they look like �perfume bottles�

Read the rest of this article here.

Raising Landmine Awareness with Ketchup?

I guess anything to get people'e attention is a good thing, but this seems to push the envelope a bit.

From the blog adfreak:

Ketchup packets don�t seem like the most controversial ad medium. But in New Zealand, there�s some grousing over this PSA campaign to raise awareness of landmines. To open the packet, you have to rip the boy�s foot off�and then, of course, the red liquid oozes out. �Well it is graphic, it is shocking, but so too is the reality�15,000-20,000 [people] having that sort of thing happening to them as a result of landmines,� says one backer. The group behind the ads, the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM), is fundraising to clear Lebanon of landmines. New Zealanders can donate $3 to the cause by texting the word �CALM� to 336.

Love Among the Landmines: an epiphany

Last night, as I often do, I was searching for something to add to the blog. I ran across a landmine related post on a website called Nowpublic.com where people can post their own news stories or links to existing ones with commentary.

I quickly became a member and posted a story I had found on Myanmar landmine victims with a photo from Erin Fredrich's trip to the Mae sot clinic.

The result was that the editor of the site, Mark Schneider, found my post and emailed me... we then spoke on the phone about the power of social networks in social activism and... well... he is much more articulate than I, so please read his post on our conversation... here is an excerpt:

Last night, James discovered NowPublic. By 3:30am, Vermont time, he posted his first story.

By 4:30am PDT, I discovered James.

I got to meet Thien, Colvin and Chi, through their pictures at Flickr.

My world had changed, in an important, fundamental way.

The marvel of networks

At NowPublic, we talk a lot about the power of social networks. We marvel at the success of YouTube, the weird goings-ons at MySpace, and the recent turmoil at Facebook. It's all exciting, entertaining, and important. We're proud to be part of how the web is changing the world.

But this early morning introduction to Clear Path produced an early morning epiphany for me - and as we all know, in the dark of the night these insights come with extraordinary force.

Read the rest of Mark's post here.

Anti-weapons Group Says Myanmar Most Active Government in World in Using Land Mines

This is no surprise to us here at Clear Path as demand for prosthetics at the refugee clinics is what inspired us to fund the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot.

Anti-weapons Group Says Myanmar Most Active Government in World in Using Land Mines

2006-09-13

BANGKOK, Thailand- Myanmar's military regime makes more extensive use of land mines than any other government in the world, a group that lobbies against the weapons said Wednesday.

In a global survey published annually, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said that only three governments in the world use land mines: Nepal, Russia and Myanmar.

Guerrilla groups both allied to and opposed to Myanmar's government also use the explosives, the group said in its annual Landmine Monitor Report.

At least 231 people were killed or injured by land mines in Myanmar in 2005, it said.

Read the rest of the story here.

Nepal: Landmines kill nearly 1,300

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - At least 1,290 people have been killed by landmines planted by government troops and Maoist rebels during Nepal's decade-old conflict, a leading anti-mine group said on Monday.

The victims, including nearly 200 women and children, are among more than 13,000 people killed since Maoist guerrillas bent on toppling the Himalayan nation's monarchy launched a revolt in 1996.

"It is very serious and most of the victims are innocent civilians," Purna Shobha Chitrakar, coordinator of Ban Landmine Campaign Nepal, part of a international anti-landmine campaign, told Reuters.

Read the rest of the story here.

Vietnam: Four Year Old Girl and Father Killed, Others Injured by War Era Ordnance

Another heartbreaking report from our staff in central Vietnam

1. (Ho Vien Khan, born in 1948 and Ho Thi Thia, born in 2002) An accident happened to a man and his daughter on August 5th 2006 in Hong Trung commune, A Luoi district of Thua Thien Hue province while he was digging holes for planting trees in the garden. Unknown ordnance suddenly exploded and killed him immediately. Ho Thi Thia, his daughter was there at random to see what her father was doing was killed too.
Accident reported and responded by CPI on September 6th 2006.

2. (Ho Duc Khue, born in 1988, Mai Van Tuan, born??? and Le Duc Trung, born ???) An accident happened to a man in Phu Loc district of Thua Thien Hue province at 14h on September 2nd 2006 while he was searching for scrap metal in Huong Thuy, another district of Thua Thien Hue province. Upon finding a small piece of iron, he called other two friends come to see. Unfortunately, it exploded and injured three of them.Khue lost his left hand below elbow and received a lot of fragments while Trung and Tuan were both slightly injured. They were then taken to the local health center for first aid and Khue was there after transferred to Hue central Hospital for intensive treatment.
Responded by CPI Medical Liaison in Hue on September 5th 2006.

Mae Sot Refugee Clinic: It's a bit of a strange day today

Just another Monday in September. I'm on my way to the clinic, a short bicycle ride. Unlike the last couple of rainy days, is it getting hot early today. On my way, I'm being overtaken by several �sawngtaws�: some sort of pick-up-trucks, packed with people and piled up with anything you could imagine. Bamboo baskets, chickens, spinage, fish oil, televisions, pink toilet paper, rice bags, pallets Coca Cola, eggs, noodles, flip-flops, dried meat, pans, clothes, wooden chairs. Now and than a car falls over and you'll be amazed about what is being spread out over the road. They drive back and forth between the Mae Sot market and the Thai-Burmese border, passing several checkpoints on their way. If the authorities find it necessary, they'll let them completely unpack and repack the cars. The thick smell of petrol mixes with the smoke of barbeques along the road. Fish, chickens and frogs are served in a banana leaf or in between two sticks, from early morning until late in the evening. Just before the last stand I hold my breath and close my eyes (a risky thing in Thai traffic) , because the sharp smell of spicy chillies makes you cough en cry. Then I pass the fruit stalls; a bunch of bananas for 10 Baht, juicy watermelons and pomelo's. After the last stall comes my favorite part of the ride: fresh green rice fields, widely stretched out with the rough Burmese mountains in the background. A beautiful view straight ahead of me. The documentary that I watched yesterday about the brutal Burmese regime slips through my mind. The slavery, the torture of political prisoners, the numerous landminevictims, the enormous amount of displaced people who try to survive in the jungle... Maybe just there, in that �beautiful view straight ahead of me�...

Over a little bridge, where boys are fishing and welcome me with an enthusiastic �Hello, hello! What's your name?�. Slowly making my way through the motorbike taxi's that gather around the clinic, making fishing nets in between rides. Off the little hill, trying to avoid the mudpools and passed the MSF-car (Medecins sans Frontiers, who take care of the TB-patients).

It's a bit of a strange day today. The helicopters which use to fly over only once or twice a day, circle around now every ten minuten. There must be somthing going on at the border or so. At the clinic it's hectic as well. It only takes a second or two before I know what causes the restless atmosphere: they are cleaning the drain sytems. What a smell! I decide to do some computerwork at the library first, but there a second unpleasant surprise awaits me : a dead rat on the floor. I cross the mudpools to the inpatients department. A new medical student from Canada; a small group of people is standing around one of the wooden beds, yelling: �Do something�. The patient who causes the scene, screams �Aw� aw��, kicking around and waving his hands in the air. Two medics tie his hands and feet with some nylon robe and things calm down again. �Malaria-madness� is the diagnose and seems to be a result of the malaria medication. It doesn't take long before there's some more action around. A goat is being chased by two dogs and slips inside, running around through the people. �It's just like a little zoo� I think, and the chickens that shuffle around the toilets, make the picture complete.
At the trauma departure, the boys hang around, on, over each other as usual and when they notice me, the unrest spreads once more: �Hi teacher! Flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, inversion, eversion! Lessons today?� Last week, I started to train a group of medics and prosthetic technicians about the basics of rehabilitation treatment for the amputee patients in the Mae Tao clinic. It's a kind of action- learning program, which merely results in big fun: muscle stretching parties, eyes-closed balancing records, walk-on-your-knees-races and cheating on sensibility test. They learn how to solve problems in a practical way; jumping exercises for a double amputee doesn't make much sense (this may sound like a cruel joke, but is a true example of today's class). How to keep this same double amputated man active during his recovery? �He can't do anything, he's got no legs� is their first response. Well, he has still got his arms?! The idea of using a wheelchair seems to be the highlight of the day. But the next day, the wheelchair is still untouched. I ask why and they tell me �No use, flat tyres�. The idea of get a pump and solve the problem makes some eyes grow even wider. Gossip spreads just like the smell of this morning: on my way home, someone stops me and asks �Are you the phylosarist?� Well, something like that yes...(When I first arrived here, they had never really heard about a physiotherapist before.)
That night I'm having dinner at Casa Mia, the place to be for good food and to meet the just-arrived foreigners. �Hi Charlie!� I greet the boy who's working at the restaurant. �Hiiiii, Luka!� he replies and his eyes shine for the rest of the evening. I'm not sure about what happened to Charlie in Burma, but he doesn't walk smoothly and seems to have a minimal mental challenge. He has left behind his family, friends, and everything he had in Burma years ago. Now he works at the restaurant, 7 days a week, 14 hours a day, litteraly with his home country within sight. One time I asked if he wanted to go back to Burma. His shiny eyes dropped down and he answered with a dreamy look: �Maybe, one day�.