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

br
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
Advertisement
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."