January 17, 2008

Send a Letter to the Editor in Support of S.594/H.R. 1755

On the 35th Anniversary of Paris Peace Accords ending the Vietnam War, urge Congress to co-sponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act

On January 27, 1973, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the United States signed the Paris Peace Accords, officially ending the Vietnam War. Thirty-five years later the deadly legacy of U.S. weapons persists. Unexploded cluster bomb remnants in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia continue to kill and maim civilians. In Laos alone, there have been 12,000 civilian casualties since the war's end. Despite this lesson, the U.S. continues to spurn international efforts to ban these Cold War relics.

In the days leading up to the 35th anniversary, take a moment to inform members of your community, and let them know that there's something they can do about it: urge their representative and senators to co-sponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S. 594/H.R. 1755). This bill would prevent the use and export of high dud rate cluster bombs, which leave deadly minefields after their use, and prevent the use of any cluster bombs in civilian populated areas.

Send in your letters to local newsletters, newspapers, and church and community bulletins.

For more information on the impact of cluster bombs in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, visit:

• Legacies of War
• Mennonite Central Committee