It has been 18 months since it was opened... It has taken nearly 3 years to clear the bombs by cross-border railway | China Laos | railway

This summer, when Laotian students took the "Lancang" bullet train of the China Laos Railway to experience the pleasure of "looking at the world by train", they may not have expected that it took more than two years for the engineering party to clean up the American cluster bombs left along the line in order to build the China Laos Railway. And these bombs were dropped by the US military on Laos during the Vietnam War.

The US government recently announced an additional $800 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, including the use of highly lethal cluster bombs classified as prohibited by US law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos recently issued a statement stating that as the world's largest victim of cluster ammunition and a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Laos is deeply concerned about the possible use of cluster ammunition.

If there is land, it cannot be cultivated. If there are infrastructure construction projects, it cannot be carried out without explosion control. This is the development reality that Laos, which is still affected by unexploded ordnance after being bombed by US cluster bombs, will face.

danger The farmland is right next to the bomb

During the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1973, the United States dropped a large number of cluster bombs on southern Vietnam, Laos, and eastern Cambodia. Among them, Laos is the country most affected by cluster bombs.

According to official data from Laos, during the Vietnam War, the US military dropped 2 to 3 million tons of bombs on Laos. The US military has dropped approximately 270 million cluster bombs, with over 80 million remaining in Laos, causing a serious and long-lasting disaster, resulting in approximately 20000 civilian deaths to date. Until today, the local bomb clearance forces in Laos are still risking their lives to carry out detection and destruction work. Arms experts say it may take 100 years to clear Laos of unexploded ordnance.

According to 2020 statistics, Laos has a land area of nearly 240000 square kilometers, approximately 60000 square kilometers, which means 25% of the country still has unexploded ordnance. Out of the 47 poorest counties, 46 areas are buried with unexploded ordnance, which directly affects the poverty alleviation of rural populations who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.

During the reporter's visit, it was discovered that an unexploded bomb was located next to the farmland

The United States also painted many cluster bombs bright orange, claiming that it was a "responsible act" for future mine clearance personnel to detect. But the actual result was that this bright orange ball attracted local children to pick it up as a toy, which led to more tragedies.

Not only in Laos, but in the past 20 years, the United States has extensively used cluster bombs in multiple wars such as the Kosovo War and the Iraq War. So much so that NATO forces in Kosovo are filled with complaints about being exhausted in eliminating such "unexploded bombs". According to incomplete statistics, cluster bombs have caused approximately 56000 to 86000 civilian deaths since their inception, with over 90% of the victims being civilians, many of whom are minors.

Banayang is only 4 years old this year. At the beginning of the year, an accidental explosion caused her to permanently lose her right eye. The Banayang family lives in the province of Khouang, which has the highest incidence of unexploded ordnance accidents in Laos. Apart from bomb disposal sites, accidents most often occur in mountain villages and rice paddies, which are places where local people rely for survival.

Banayang's father said, "It should be a bomb buried underground during the war without exploding. We have always felt very sad for our daughter's blindness in one eye."

The China Laos railway, which is now regarded as the "national card" by Laos, also experienced risks due to bomb clearance at the initial stage of construction.

Wengtong Supantong, Deputy Chief Engineer of Laos China Railway Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company coordinated with the Ministry of National Defense of Laos to conduct research, detect, clean up, and destroy bombs along the train route, which took a total of about 3 years.

Today, countless trains are flying on the China Laos railway, showing a prosperous trend of both passenger and cargo, bringing new opportunities for countries in the region to share connectivity.

18 months of operation

China Laos Railway Delivers Outstanding Transcript

The reporter learned from China Railway Kunming Bureau Group that as of June 3, the China Laos Railway had been in operation for 18 months, and had sent 16.4 million passengers and 21 million tons of goods in total. The safe transportation remained stable, and the role of the golden transportation channel became increasingly prominent.

The China Laos Railway is a landmark project of high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road". Since its opening and operation on December 3, 2021, the passenger and freight transportation of the China Laos Railway has continued to grow, the service quality has significantly improved, and the radiation effect has been continuously enhanced. The China Laos Railway has become the development road, happiness road, and friendship road of the Chinese and Laotian people.

At present, 25 provinces in China have successively launched cross-border freight trains of the China Laos Railway. The freight transport has covered Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries and regions along the "the Belt and Road". The category of goods has expanded from more than 10 kinds of fertilizers and general merchandise at the initial stage of opening to more than 2000 kinds of electronics, photovoltaic, cold chain fruits, etc., forming a stable and efficient gold transport channel.

The International Passenger Train of China Laos Railway Opens

On June 13, the international passenger trains of the China Laos Railway had been running for two months. The railway department had run 61 pairs of cross-border EMUs. The border inspection and customs departments had inspected 122 entry-exit trains and released 25000 cross-border passengers from 39 countries and regions. Cross border passenger flow is mainly focused on tourism and business, with over 8000 tourists, accounting for 33%.

On April 13 of this year, under the active promotion of China and Laos, the Kunming South Station and Vientiane Station of the China Laos Railway opened a two-way international passenger train, and Kunming Vientiane was accessible on the same day. The operation of the China Laos railway international passenger train has not only facilitated people's exchanges between the two countries, but also greatly promoted tourism and economic and trade cooperation.

"The China Laos Railway connects many famous tourist attractions in Laos, making it convenient for backpackers from all over the world to travel in Laos. The railway station is very" Chinese "and comfortable to ride." Zhang Weilin, a tourist from Beijing, said that the station and train staff can speak Chinese and Laotian, which makes communication easier and makes their travel more comfortable.

In order to meet the travel needs of cross-border passengers, the railway department continuously optimizes the flow of passengers entering and exiting the station, improves the display and display of passenger transportation venues, and sets up Chinese, Laotian, and English directional signs in ticket halls, entry points, ticket gates, and waiting areas, announcing international passenger travel instructions, boarding safety instructions, entry and exit procedures, and other contents. At the same time, professional language translation machines are equipped on the train to facilitate communication with foreign passengers and help solve their inquiries and requests for help.

"There are enough entry-exit cards on the train so that passengers can change them in time when they make a mistake. The stewards will also guide them to fill in. For elderly passengers or those who are not very smooth with their mobile phones, we will help them complete the entry-exit declaration, so that their travel experience will be more convenient and warm." Dai Rui, conductor and conductor of the China Laos Railway International Passenger Train, said.

"Mohan Border Inspection Station has set up dedicated channels for Chinese passengers and train employees respectively, reducing waiting time and improving passenger clearance efficiency. At the same time, entry cards are issued in advance for incoming foreign passengers, and guidance posts are set up at the travel inspection site to provide them with full process consulting services." Yang Xueqin, a police officer on duty at the railway port of Mohan Border Inspection Station, introduced.

"We are very happy to take the China Laos railway train, which is really comfortable and convenient. We can go to many places in Yunnan, such as Shangri La, Kunming, etc., and also take the train to Laos, which we think is really great." The American Dragu couple who took the China Laos railway international passenger train out of the country for the first time said excitedly.

The first departure of the "Lanmei Rong Europe Express" train

On the morning of July 7th, a train carrying Thai car parts departed from Chengdu International Railway Port to Europe. This is also the first departure of the "Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line", marking the official connection of the China Laos Railway and the China Europe Railway.

The "Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line" is effectively combined by the China Laos Railway "Lancang Mekong Express Line" and the China Europe Express "Chengdu Europe Express".

Some of the goods carried by the "Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line" departed from Thailand on July 1, took the China Laos Railway, and then transferred to China Europe Express in Chengdu on July 7 to Budapest, Hungary. It is expected to arrive at the destination on July 17.

Liao Zhiwen, General Manager of Yunnan Nengtou Logistics Co., Ltd., said, "Previously, we used the methods of rail and sea intermodal transportation, which were time-consuming and costly. By using the 'Lanmeirong Europe Express' for shipping, we saved more than 20 days of time and reduced costs by more than 20%."

After the opening of the Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line, all formalities can be completed for the goods that take the China Laos Railway from Southeast Asia to enter the country only once through customs transfer, effectively improving the efficiency of intermodal logistics.

Wang Weikun, deputy general manager of Chengdu International Railway Express Co., Ltd., said: "The 'Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line' has effectively connected the China Laos Railway and the China Europe Express by opening up the difficulties of transit customs clearance, and has built an economic, fast and stable channel."