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Hmong community recalls devastation of cluster bombs as Biden promises bombs for Ukraine
https://sahanjournal.com/culture-community/hmong-community-cluster-bombs-laos-vietnam-war-president-biden-ukraine/Local and national Southeast Asian community leaders are urging President Joe Biden and Ukraine to reconsider using cluster bombs against Russia, citing the devastation they continue to cause in Southeast Asia nearly half a century after the Vietnam War ended.
Biden promised in July to send cluster bombs to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, noting that the Ukrainian military was running out of ammunition. The bombs are banned by the United Nations and more than 100 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The United States has not agreed to prohibit their use, putting it in the company of countries such as North Korea and Russia, among several others.
“If I was the government of Ukraine, I would be hesitant to accept it,” said Lee Pao Xiong, director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul. “It may destroy your enemy, but after your enemy is gone, it’s your population that’s going to suffer—and they will continue to suffer over the next 50 years like Laos.”
(snip)
Civilians account for 97 percent of the casualties from cluster bombs globally; more than 60 percent of them are children, according to Koulabdara. Fewer than 10 percent of cluster bombs that remain in the ground have been destroyed.
Biden promised in July to send cluster bombs to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, noting that the Ukrainian military was running out of ammunition. The bombs are banned by the United Nations and more than 100 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The United States has not agreed to prohibit their use, putting it in the company of countries such as North Korea and Russia, among several others.
“If I was the government of Ukraine, I would be hesitant to accept it,” said Lee Pao Xiong, director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul. “It may destroy your enemy, but after your enemy is gone, it’s your population that’s going to suffer—and they will continue to suffer over the next 50 years like Laos.”
(snip)
Civilians account for 97 percent of the casualties from cluster bombs globally; more than 60 percent of them are children, according to Koulabdara. Fewer than 10 percent of cluster bombs that remain in the ground have been destroyed.