The next few days is merely getting down to Ho Chi Minh City for the 30th April, the day the American War ended and a goal post for Project Pineapple. A day representing Peace. A day to tell our war mongering governments to cease using Cluster Bombs and clean up the mess they have already made in other people's back yards.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail is quite well displayed graphically on the following link
www.bookrags.com/research/ho-chi-minh-trail-ema-02
I have followed it quite closely. Even this area, now fairly tame to the eye, with its rows of coffee bushes, pine trees and some pantiled houses could remind you of a French wine growing region. It's cultivation no doubt assisted by America's determined effort to assist it's clearance with the help of its special agent, Agent Orange. These rolling hills consist of the rich morraine soil deposited by the receding glaciers on these toenails of the outreaching skeletal toes of the massive Himalaya body to the north west.
But the present day's prosperity has brought another kind of war to the region, road war. The well designed roads, constructed over the old Ho Chi Minh Trail and which are once more being upgraded to major highways, are the worst I have ridden so far, in terms of inherent danger. The volume of traffic is significantly greater than further north.
Trucks and buses eat across the centre line into a third at least of your space and motor cyclists just come and go as they please seemingly without a care, pedestrians too. This has contributed to one clashing of my front fork with the others rear mudguard and exhaust as he suddenly turned across my path. Fortunaely as I hollered at him, I was able to guide the Minsk out of full entanglement. Both stopping on the laterite siding, for once I saw a sheepish look on a Vietnamese face.
Next day a young schoolboy, 6 or 7, walked out in front of me and with just decimeters to spare, avoiding action prevented a serious accident.
So these short sections of the old HCM trail from Kon Tum to Buin Ho, to Gia Ngia, to Dong Xoai and the next to Thu Dau Mot are actualy the most stressful despite the surrounding beauty.
But Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon as those in the south still call it, awaits the 30th April, the day the war ended. In all those city centres, Vietnamese flags and banners fly reminding us of the day. It must be said the national flag is much less apparent on private housing and shops of the south compared to their northern couterparts.
Some say the war was to do with a susidiary of Standard Oil making seismic survey in the Gulf of Tonkin under the protective blanket of war which simultaneously ended with the last helicopter leaving Saigon. When I was managing another oil company there, BP, having taken over various American oil companies, moved into Ho Chi Minh City lock stock and barrel for a full development HQ in 1991 spending it is estimated 70 million US$ without so much as one exploration well. Now how could they have done that without full technical knowledge? The Iraq war too is widely accepted as being a play to gain access to the three largest known undeveloped reservoirs in the world similar to 60 year producing reservoirs in Saudi Arabia
Cluster Bombs, were not only used to carpet bomb Indochina, but also were the first bomds to be dropped on Iraq on 19th March 2003. Should not the oil companies also finance the clearance of Cluster Bombs as well as their national governments?
Project Pineapple
Remember, go to Archives for full story at bottom of picture column
SPECIAL UPDATE FOR AMERICANS
FOR NON AMERICANS PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR US FRIENDS AND CONTACTS
PLEASE VIEW SITE
http://www.handicap-international.us/our-fight-against-landmines-and-cluster-bombs/in-brief/
AND FIND LINK TO
National Senate Call-In Day to Ban Cluster Bombs MAR 30
but keep up the pressure after this date
MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT YOUR SENATOR
ALSO for those who wish to make donations to Handicap International, a co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, and now widely recognized as a key international lobbyist on weapons of war, please got to:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/285080?m=96aaaf39
Be sure to contact your political representative too wherever you are.
PROJECT PINEAPPLE INITIATED WITH A MOTORCYCLE RIDE THROUGH INDOCHINA TO PUBLICISE THE CLUSTER BOMB ISSUE.
Laos was carpet bombed along the Vietnam border to wipe out the VietCong's supply lines, the multiple trails known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Now, the issue is still being swept under a diplomatic carpet.
The Iraq war opened on 19th March, 2003, with Cluster Bombs being dropped. I was in Laos walking through remote villages on a water well project when I got the news on my short wave radio. Those same villages were carpet bombed 35 years earlier and still living under the threat of 76 million unexploded Cluster Bombs.
Billions of dollars continue to be spent on Iraq but a mere 500 thousand dollars annually on clearing unexploded Cluster Bombs in Laos.
The Vietnam War ended on 30th April 1975 when the last ten marines were choppered out.
I used the Belarusian 125cc Minsk motorcyle to ride from Hanoi, Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City between 19th March and 30th April representing respectively the start of Cluster Bombs being dropped on Iraq and the final withdrawal of US marines from Saigon.
Visits were made to various relevant projects and programs both for clearing unexploded bombs and supporting the victims.
Should you be in any of these countries it is worth
finding out what you can about this 'forgotten' problem. Rural children and adults are still dying and being maimed every day.
Please email any comments to : project.pineapple@yahoo.com
Remember to go to Blog Archives at bottom of Picture column for the full story.
See you around
Robert
SPECIAL UPDATE FOR AMERICANS
FOR NON AMERICANS PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR US FRIENDS AND CONTACTS
PLEASE VIEW SITE
http://www.handicap-international.us/our-fight-against-landmines-and-cluster-bombs/in-brief/
AND FIND LINK TO
National Senate Call-In Day to Ban Cluster Bombs MAR 30
but keep up the pressure after this date
MAKE SURE YOU CONTACT YOUR SENATOR
ALSO for those who wish to make donations to Handicap International, a co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, and now widely recognized as a key international lobbyist on weapons of war, please got to:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/285080?m=96aaaf39
Be sure to contact your political representative too wherever you are.
PROJECT PINEAPPLE INITIATED WITH A MOTORCYCLE RIDE THROUGH INDOCHINA TO PUBLICISE THE CLUSTER BOMB ISSUE.
Laos was carpet bombed along the Vietnam border to wipe out the VietCong's supply lines, the multiple trails known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Now, the issue is still being swept under a diplomatic carpet.
The Iraq war opened on 19th March, 2003, with Cluster Bombs being dropped. I was in Laos walking through remote villages on a water well project when I got the news on my short wave radio. Those same villages were carpet bombed 35 years earlier and still living under the threat of 76 million unexploded Cluster Bombs.
Billions of dollars continue to be spent on Iraq but a mere 500 thousand dollars annually on clearing unexploded Cluster Bombs in Laos.
The Vietnam War ended on 30th April 1975 when the last ten marines were choppered out.
I used the Belarusian 125cc Minsk motorcyle to ride from Hanoi, Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City between 19th March and 30th April representing respectively the start of Cluster Bombs being dropped on Iraq and the final withdrawal of US marines from Saigon.
Visits were made to various relevant projects and programs both for clearing unexploded bombs and supporting the victims.
Should you be in any of these countries it is worth
finding out what you can about this 'forgotten' problem. Rural children and adults are still dying and being maimed every day.
Please email any comments to : project.pineapple@yahoo.com
Remember to go to Blog Archives at bottom of Picture column for the full story.
See you around
Robert
One Reason for the Name Project Pineapple
Monday, April 27, 2009
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