[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S9630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PEACETREES VIETNAM

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to describe a project 
being undertaken by a remarkable organization in my home State of 
Washington. PeaceTrees Vietnam, the 20th international PeaceTrees 
Program sponsored by the Earthstewards Network, represents the 
dedicated work of individuals working to promote peace on a local and 
global scale.
  For over a decade, Earthstewards has worked around the world to 
foster dialog between peoples of various countries, and to contribute 
to communities around the world. Earthstewards has organized PeaceTrees 
Programs in many communities, including Capetown, South Africa; 
Auroville, South India; Bluefields, Nicaragua; and Tacoma, WA. Now, 
this organization is embarking on a project in Vietnam.
  Every week in Vietnam, a child is killed or maimed by the explosion 
of an antipersonnel landmine. At this time, there are over 58,000 
leftover landmines and unexploded ordnance in the Quang Tri Province of 
Vietnam, the DMZ during the Vietnam war. PeaceTrees Vietnam seeks to 
eliminate the threat of these devices by removing landmines, planting 
trees, raising community awareness, and reducing the dangers of 
landmines in Vietnam and across the globe.
  This important program has several phases. First, beginning this 
summer, landmines will be removed near the old Khe May military base in 
the town of Dong Ha in Quang Tri Province. American and Canadian 
retired military experts as well as Vietnamese local militia will 
extract these destructive weapons of war. Then, in November, a 
Friendship Forest will be planted in this area. Not only will this 
serve as a cooperative effort of the Westerners and Vietnamese who 
plant these trees, it will help set up a buffer to stop the dry, hot 
winds from Laos and restore life to deforested terrain.
  Next, construction of a Landmine Awareness Education Center will 
begin. Educational displays will be created, so children and adults may 
understand how to identify potentially unsafe areas, and what to do if 
a landmine is encountered. Mine clearance will continue through 1997 in 
the thousands of hectares of the surrounding farm and forest land. This 
will allow citizens to productively and effectively utilize the land 
again, and will help re-forest the area.
  As a member of the PeaceTrees Vietnam International Advisory Board, I 
am pleased to have the opportunity to assist efforts to make this 
landmine-ridden area safe again, and to raise awareness of the global 
problem of landmines. I applaud the work of all those who have helped 
organize and implement PeaceTrees Vietnam. Efforts such as theirs truly 
make a difference in the lives of countless individuals around the 
world.

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