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Press and Media

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LATEST FEATURE - The Telegraph

Children hit hard as landmine casualties almost triple in Myanmar

"Children hit hard as landmine casualties almost triple in Myanmar"

Apr 4, 2024

Buried bombs are robbing children of their limbs as landmine as casualties rise to 1,052 in Myanmar

By Sarah Newey, ft. Sera Koulabdara, The Telegraph

"Ukraine's vaunted 'bread basket' soil is now toxic"

Feb 29, 2024

Two years of war has left roughly one-third of its territory polluted, with dire potential consequences for the world's food supply

By Dr. Olena Melnyk, Sera Koulabdara, Responsible Statecraft

"Kissinger memorial draws angry protesters of Israel war. Vietnam War families can relate."

Jan 30, 2024

POW/MIA families won't forget that presidential adviser Henry Kissinger helped Richard Nixon not only to manipulate a war but also to abandon U.S. troops.

By Heather Atherton, USA Today

"What would you do, if your mother had a secret that she kept from you?"

Jan 25, 2024

Meet Jessica Pearce Rotondi...These documents brought to light a family ghost: her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the CIA-led “Secret War”...

By
Shikha Shahdeo, ft. Jessica Pearce Rotondi

"The US Bombed My Country Thanks to People like Henry Kissinger"

Dec 5, 2023

From Vietnam to Laos to Cambodia, Henry Kissinger's legacy of devastation and war still lives on after his death.

By Khamsone Sirimanivong, Pajouablai Monica Lee, Inkstick Media

"Dispatch: The invisible killer haunting Laos 50 years after the Vietnam War"

Nov 26, 2023

Laos was heavily bombed between 1964 and 1973 and unexploded munitions are littered, dormant but deadly, across much of the country

By Sarah Newey, ft. Sera Koulabdara, The Telegraph

USCMC Press Release: Questions Regarding Recent U.S. Transfer Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

Sep 11, 2023

Anti-Cluster Munitions Campaigners Call on Biden White House to Answer Basic Questions Regarding Recent U.S. Transfers of Indiscriminate Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

Sera Koulabdara, Chair, U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition and CEO, Legacies of War (sera@legaciesofwar.org); Steve Goose, Chair of the International Cluster Munitions Coalition (gooses@hrw.org)

U.S. provided Ukraine with cluster bombs to fight Russia. Survivors say they should never be used

Aug 19, 2023

Ukraine has said the weapons, banned by many countries, are necessary to battle Russia

Nick Logan, CBC News

'It is a year of remembrance': The legacy of cluster bombs in Laos fifty years on

Aug 14, 2023

Today marks exactly fifty years since the last cluster bombs were dropped in Laos.

Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui, All Things Considered: Minnesota Public Radio

Hmong community recalls devastation of cluster bombs as Biden promises bombs for Ukraine

Aug 2, 2023

Cluster bombs were dropped across Laos and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Many didn’t explode, and remain a danger nearly 50 years after the war ended.

Hibah Ansari, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Sahan Journal

Open Letter to President Joseph R. Biden and to his National Security team

Jul 20, 2023

Former U.S. Ambassadors to Cambodia Urge the President to Reconsider Cluster Munitions

Legacies of War Press Release

Open Letter to President Joseph R. Biden and to his National Security team

Jul 12, 2023

Former U.S. Ambassadors to Laos Urge the President to Reconsider Cluster Munitions

Legacies of War Press Release

"The Biden administration will provide controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine"

Jul 7, 2023

The weapon is banned by many countries. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Sera Koulabdara of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition, about why the U.S. think it's worth the risk.

Michel Martin, NPR

Legacies of War and the Lost Lao Food Connection

Jun 21, 2023

Danae Hendrickson is the Chief of Mission Advancement & Communications for the organization Legacies of War. Legacies of War is an educational and advocacy group working to address the impact of the American Secret War.

By Hayley Forney, ft. Danae Hendrickson

Sera Koulabdara named ‘2023 Top 50 Unsung Heroes’

Apr 28, 2023

This special award is given in honor of Sera’s passion and dedication to Legacies' mission. Under her leadership...

Asian Hustle Network

The day the bombs rained down in Laos

Apr 16, 2023

50 years ago today, during the Lao new year, the US blew up my father’s village, leaving a legacy of unexploded munitions.

By Aleena Inthaly, Responsible Statecraft

International Mine Awareness Day 2023 - Jessica Pearce Rotondi

Apr 4, 2023

"What I want my boys to know is something that my family has spent generations trying to understand..."

UNMAS, Jessica Pearce Rotondi

"US Cluster Munition Transfers Raise Humanitarian Concerns"

Apr 4, 2024

As the US Cluster Munition Coalition recommends, President Biden should to immediately halt the transfer of cluster munitions given the significant humanitarian, human rights, and political risks involved.

By Sera Koulabdara and Mary Wareham, Humanitarian Disarmament

"From Conflict to Compassion: A Veteran's Tale - Mike Burton"

Feb 13, 2024

In 1962, Mike Burton was commissioned in the US Air Force. Stationed in Thailand, he worked in intelligence and was...

By The Plunge with Garrett Hayes, ft. Mike Burton

"Legacies of War - Unexploded Munitions in Southeast Asia"

Jan 25, 2024

Danae talks about the organization's beginnings, current focus, and future plans.

By Everyday Nonviolence Podcast, ft. Danae Hendrickson

"Growing up as a Lao American"

Jan 25, 2024

Dr. Palina Louangketh is a former Lao refugee from Pakse, Laos who moved with family to Boise-Idaho, during the Vietnam war-era bombing in Laos.

By Shikha Shahdeo, ft. Dr. Palina Louangketh

"'My blood boils': Kissinger's bitter legacy in Southeast Asia"

Dec 2, 2023

As global tributes to late US diplomat Henry Kissinger poured in, his death stirred fury across Southeast Asia.

By: Rose Troup Buchanan, Ft. Sera Koulabdara, France 24

"Some military families are still awaiting their veteran’s return — 50 years later"

Nov 10, 2023

This year marks 50 years since the last prisoner of war was released from captivity in Operation Homecoming in 1973.

By Heather Atherton, The Sacramento Bee

Witness to history: US veteran in Vietnam War regrets dropping cluster bombs, feels hurt to see Ukraine repeat the nightmare

Aug 31, 2023

Many fear that Ukraine, which has received many cluster bombs from the US, will become the next unfortunate casualty to share Laos' fate.

Hu Yuwei and Wang Wenwen, ft. Mike Burton, Global Times

Laos 50 Years On

Aug 17, 2023

Exactly 50 years since the bombing stopped in Laos HALO is still clearing up unexploded bombs in the landlocked South East Asian country. JJ Chalmers talks to Sera Koulabdara, CEO of Legacies of War and to William Hunter, who runs HALO's Laos programme.

Beyond Bombs with JJ Chalmers

Declassified: A Conversation with Legacies of War

Aug 10, 2023

SEAD's Kaysone Syonesa Schneider sits down with Legacies of War's Aleena Inthaly & Danae Hendrickson.

The SEAD Project

Deadly UXO Explosion Kills Two Children in Xayaboury

Jul 31, 2023

A fatal blast caused by suspected UXO in Phiang District, Xayaboury Province has claimed the lives of two children.

The Laotian Times

Why the U.S. sending cluster weapons to Ukraine is divisive

Jul 19, 2023

Fifty years after the last bombs were dropped on Laos, unexploded cluster munitions continue to be dangerous making the U.S. decision to send cluster weapons to Ukraine controversial.

Jason Aldag, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Washington Post

"Biden is wrong to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. 50 years later, they're still killing in Laos."

Jul 11, 2023

With cluster bombs, the killing doesn't stop when the war ends. Wherever they land, children playing, gardening, herding cattle or digging an irrigation canal decades later all become dangerous.

By Titus Peachey, USA Today

"Why are cluster munitions controversial?"

Jul 7, 2023

"America is sending another deadly weapon to help Ukraine fight Russia. The Associated Press reported the White House has approved Ukraine's request for cluster munitions — bombs and artillery shells that open in the air to release dozens or hundreds of "bomblets" to destroy multiple targets at once."

By Joel Mathis, The Week

"Advocates remember the war 50 years ago"

May 25, 2023

When Lee Po Cha traveled to Laos in November 2022, he was given the opportunity to detonate a bomb. It was the first time in 48 years he had been back to his birth country.

By Agnes Constante

The Long Reckoning of America's War in Vietnam

Apr 24, 2023

A discussion on how a small group of persistent and dedicated actors in both countries have led efforts to heal the legacies of war

Stimson Center

An Ambassador's Call To Rid Laos Of Unexploded Ordnance

Apr 5, 2023

It’s time for the US to finally clean up the unexploded ordnance it left behind in Laos during its “secret war.”

By Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick, Inkstick

I dropped cluster bombs on Laos in US 'secret war.' Ukraine shouldn't want this nightmare.

Apr 4, 2023

All that was accomplished by using these inhumane weapons was to leave a trail of destruction that remains to this day, and a deep sense of regret for U.S. veterans like myself.

By Mike Burton, USA Today

"The Legacies of War"

Mar 28, 2024

Mike Burton ’71, ’74 wants the US to clear the bombs it left behind in Laos 50 years ago.

By Jessica Murphy Moo

"The Sticky Rice Model: Legacies of War's Approach to Community Engagement"

Jan 31, 2024

As someone from an impacted community, Anna made the decision to reconnect with her Lao roots.

Youth Democracy Cohort ft. Anna Phommachanthone

"Vancouver resident uses his own battles to help serve fellow Vietnam veterans"

Jan 25, 2024

Since the early age of 25, Mike Burton was raised with the belief that America was the best country in the world. But soon his perception and view of the world changed.

By Shikha Shahdeo, ft. Mike Burton

"Fifty Years of Living With America's Unexploded Bombs"

Dec 21, 2023

Laos Was Collateral Damage in the U.S.’ Secret War. The Wounds Are Visible in the Land and in Generations Still Waiting on Justice

By Sera Koulabdara, ZÓCALO Magazine

"Henry Kissinger’s Cluster Bombs Are Still Killing People in Southeast Asia"

Nov 30, 2023

A half-century after the war “ended,” people in Vietnam Laos, and Cambodia try to live their lives in a land riddled with unexploded ordinance that still kill and maim civilians.

By Danae Hendrickson, The Daily Beast

"US ATACMs in Ukraine gamble with future civilians' lives"

Oct 21, 2023

Rockets from the advanced weapons system carry hundreds of cluster bombs, many of which will live on long after the war is over.

By Titus Peachey, Responsible Statecraft

US human rights organizations condemn cluster munitions aid to Ukraine

Aug 31, 2023

‘short-sighted, inhumane, and a complete disregard for intl law’

Hu Yuwei, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Global Times

Ukraine Can Learn From Southeast Asia

Aug 15, 2023

Cambodia and Laos have direct experience with the aftermath of U.S. cluster bombs, now deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Verena Hölzl, Foreign Policy

Ukraine’s Cluster Bomb Dilemma — with Sera Koulabdara, Romeo Kokriatski and Danny Postel

Aug 3, 2023

In July, U.S. President Joe Biden made the controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Though neither the United States, Ukraine nor Russia is party to the 2008 convention outlawing them...

Danny Postel, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Romeo Kokriatski, The Lede Podcast

Moral, Personal Stances for Laos and Cambodia Over Cluster Bombs

Jul 29, 2023

Southeast Asian countries are warning about the long-term dangers of cluster bombs in Ukraine after the United States sent the explosives to Kyiv earlier this month for use in their drive to recapture territory seized during Russia’s invasion.

Tommy Walker, ft. Titus Peachey, VOA News

Biden’s Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine Is a Tragedy

Jul 19, 2023

Any battlefield advantage is outweighed by the death and destruction these weapons cause.

Don Super, Inkstick Media

"Cluster Bombs Are a 'Tragic Necessity' for Ukraine: Ex-Ambassador"

Jul 8, 2023

"We strongly condemn the use of cluster munitions by all parties in the war in Ukraine and call for the immediate end to the use of these horrific weapons anywhere in the world," said chair of the CMC and CEO of Legacies of War Sera Koulabdara, who was quoted in the release.

By Kaitlin Lewis, Newsweek

"Reps. Jacobs & Omar unleash plans to stop WH cluster munitions to Ukraine"

Jul 7, 2023

“I applaud the NDAA amendment proposed by Reps. Jacobs and Rep. Omar,” Sera Koulabdara, CEO of the advocacy group Legacies of War, told RS. “I urge them and other leaders to continue to stand on the side of the basic human rights to live free from the fear of cluster munitions and speak out publicly to their colleagues and the American people.”

By Blaise Malley, Responsible Statecraft

Sera Koulabdara named ‘Unstoppable 100: Trailblazing Women & Girls Honoree’

May 13, 2023

We are Celebrating and shining the light on amazing Women and Girls from all walks of life, who are walking in their power, leading and inspiring change around the world.

Role Model Magazine and Ford Motor Company

Textiles show history of Secret War in Laos and how women perceived conflict

Apr 17, 2023

Monday marks 50 years since the U.S. ended its nine-year bombing of Laos. Traditional textiles with missiles, grenades and attack planes offer a haunting glimpse of the attacks.

By Saqib Rahim, NBC News

UN Mine Action Symposium

Apr 4, 2023

What impacts do UXO have on the environment?

Jules LeBlanc + Hayley LeBlanc ft. Sera Koulabdara

Past

“Meet SapSap, a Racine-Area Laotian Restaurant With a Cause”

Dec 3, 2021

The Asian fusion restaurant in Racine County serves up meals with the goal of educating people about Laos’ history and culture and raising awareness about the effects of Secret War in Laos.

By Jonathon Sadowski, Upnorth News

“America’s Secret War in Laos Uncovered”

Sep 9, 2016

More bombs were dropped on Laos than over Germany and Japan in WWII combined.

ByBob Woodruff and Karson Yiu, ABC News

“Obama to Announce $90 Million Package to Clear Laos’ Unexploded Bombs”

Sep 6, 2016

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that US has an “obligation” to help Laos recover from a brutal secret bombing campaign that destroyed parts of the Southeast Asian nation.

By Elisa Labbott, CNN

“U.S. Bombs Dropped Decades Ago in Laos Still Killing People”

Sep 5, 2016

A U.S. secret operation in Laos that ended 43 years ago is still creating fresh wounds.

By Adriana Diaz, CBS News

“Why Biden must reverse Trump policy on landmines now”

Apr 8, 2021

These destructive weapons continue to kill decades after formal cessations of hostilities.

By Sera Koulabdara, Responsible Statecraft

“After War, A New Legacy of Peace in Laos”

Sep 7, 2016

When I was 6 years old, my family fled Laos, a country in Southeast Asia the size of Minnesota. As refugees welcomed by the United States, my parents’ wish for their children was to not look back, but to take every opportunity provided in our new homeland to live a happy, fulfilled life .

By Channapha Khamvongsa, The Medium

“Obama Heads to Laos for ASEAN Summit, Historic Visit”

Sep 5, 2016

The deadly legacy of U.S. bombings over Laos during the Vietnam War still lingers to this day.

By Ron Allen, NBC News

“Obama to Address Lethal Legacy of Secret War in Laos”

Sep 5, 2016

Yianyang Bounxieng remembers playing with bombs as a child growing up in Xieng Khouang...

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Reuters

“The Fight to Demine Laos”

May 11, 2017

While imagery of the “American War” in Vietnam was being blasted across newspaper front pages, radio stations, and televisions in the U.S., the Nixon administration and the CIA were secretly showering its neighbors, the small, land-locked Laos, and Cambodia, with millions of bombs...

By Claire Knox, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

“The Heroes Behind Obama’s Historic Announcement in Laos”

Sep 6, 2016

The United States will devote $90 million to finding and disposing of 50-year-old unexploded bombs.

By John Cavanagh, The Nation

“My Friends Were Afraid of Me: What 80 Million Unexploded US Bombs did to Laos”

Sep 5, 2016

For two years after the accident, Yei Yang refused to leave his home.

By Rebecca Wright, CNN

"Barack Obama lands in Laos for first U.S. presidential visit"

Sep 5, 2016

President Obama arrives in Vientiane, Laos for the first time.

By Josh Lederman and Kathleen Hennessey, The Associated Press

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