MAG will continue to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) for the poorest communities in Quang Tri, under a new agreement signing with provincial authorities.
"UXO is still a major cause of poverty in the province, because it stops people from using land," said Jimmy Roodt, MAG Vietnam's Country Programme Manager. "MAG will continue to ensure that our work benefits the poorest members of society."
Mr Roodt's comments were made during a signing ceremony in Dong Ha last Friday. MAG signed an agreement with the provincial government that allows MAG to continue working in the province between 2009 and 2011.
The event was attended by provincial officials, representatives from BOMICEN (Technology Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal) and staff from MAG headquarters.
MAG has worked in Quang Tri since 1999, and has cleared a total of almost six million square metres of land in the province. More than 87,000 items of UXO or landmines have been removed.
Most of MAG's work in Vietnam involves removing all known landmines and UXO from the most contaminated communes. However the organisation also responds to reports of UXO that pose an immediate threat, and clears areas of land for development.
MAG also works in Quang Binh province.
For more information on MAG's Vietnam programme, visit www.maginternational.org/vietnam.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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