It has been 40 years since the U.S. military dropped the last bomb on Laos, yet the effects of unexploded ordnance (UXO) are being felt today. Jerry Redfern is an award-winning photojournalist who
It has been 40 years since the U.S. military dropped the last bomb on Laos, yet the effects of unexploded ordnance (UXO) are being felt today. Jerry Redfern is an award-winning photojournalist who moved to Cambodia with his wife, Karen Coates, in 1998. Both are senior fellows at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University. It was an anniversary trip that later kindled a passion in the two about this little-known legacy of war, and encouraged a renewed commitment to redressing historical injustices and building positive peace.
Redfern said, “I thought it would be cool to go to the Plain of Jars. We were living in Cambodia and were there and heard about the bombs. We decided to take an anniversary trip to the Plain of Jars.”
The Plain of Jars is an archaeological wonder of the Xieng Khouang plateau, Xieng Khouang, Lao PDR. There are thousands of megalithic stone jars clustered together. The clusters range in size from a single jar to several hundred.
“The Plain of Jars sounded fascinating,” said Redfern. “We saw bomb scrap and the extent of the problem didn’t click until we went back in 2005 and saw the scope of problem was continuing.” Until two years ago, someone was killed or injured almost every day by unexploded ordnance. But around 2010, the reported incidents dropped to about one or two injuries every week or so, yet no one can explain exactly why that happened.
“The ordnance is everywhere,” said Coa