Injury Date: July 25th , 2002
Injuries: perforated intestines, 'steel-pellet' wounds over much of his upper body, lost 3 teeth, had a broken jaw, broken right leg and shattered right patella
Province: Quang Tri
Intake Date: July 25, 2002
CPI Assistance: Medical, Nutrition & transportation fees. Will provide follow up care as needed.
Occupation: rice farmer

"Van Khon and Khon's wife, Phuong, had recently cleared and planted a new ricefield not far from the family compound. They were weeding when Khon disturbed a small object no one saw clearly....."

Cu Po village lies in the Khe Sanh Valley of the Truong Son Range, and is part of the lowland area surrounding the old Khe Sanh Combat Base, which was the scene of months of heavy fighting. This stretch of the the Range is home to the Van-Kieu minority, who typically fought alongside Special Forces units, and was carpetbombed regularly.

To this day even the area along National Highway 9, the main transport route into Laos in Central Viet Nam, is here and there littered with UXO and, while accidents in these highlands are frequent, many remain unreported because villages are often several days' walk from the nearest paved road.

The 25th of July began as just another long day in the ricefields. Ho Van Hoa, his wife and 6 children are subsistence farmers growing upland, or 'dry' rice on the somewhat gentler slopes of the mountains. Hoa, his wife Thua, his uncle Ho Van Khon and Khon's wife, Phuong, had recently cleared and planted a new ricefield not far from the family compound. They were weeding when Khon disturbed a small object no one saw clearly.

The injuries both men suffered are consistent with a clusterbomb: Khon lost his left hand and the index finger of the right, burns and minor wounds ; Hoa suffered perforated intestines and minor 'steel-pellet' wounds over much of his upper body, lost 3 teeth, had a broken jaw, right leg and shattered right patella; amazingly, neither man was blinded, and the women were uninjured.

Both men were transported to Qaung Tri General Hospital, where CPI responded with support for all their expenses. Between the 2 families, both of which have Poverty Cards (meaning they earn less than 15 USD per month per household), there are 11 dependents, including Khon's 60 year-old mother: the economic impact on the families is staggering, and CPI will follow up with an assessment visit to determine their further needs and how best to assist them.