MAG (Mines Advisory Group) Laos

A village boy in a heavily-bombed region of Laos. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) Laos is very actively working to clear the region of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the Vietnam War.

Laos is the most heavily-bombed country per capita in the world. Between 1964 and 1973, the United States military dropped over 2 million tons of bombs in 581,000 sorties in the course of their 'Secret War' in Laos. The legacy of the bombing continues to wound and kill Laotian citizens, as an estimated 20-30% of all bombs failed to detonate when they were dropped. Although they have laid in the earth for as long as 40 years, many of these bombs remain lethal.

MAG is a British humanitarian organization dedicated to clearing the remnants of conflict, notably land mines and unexploded ordnance. MAG has worked in 35 countries around the world including Laos.

Nong Het, Laos. November 2007.