THAILAND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

47 assumed affected provinces were survey during the period from September 2000 to April 2001 in collaboration with civilian and military authorities. 2,727 communities were visited and about 20,000 people were interviewed or consulted. 531 affected communities in 27 provinces were identified with a total population of 504,303. Most of the communities are located to the South-East on the Cambodian border and to the North towards Myanmar and Laos, mostly within 30 km from the borders. The main socio-economic impact is impaired access to forest resources, land for cultivation and pasture. The impact assessment showed that 69 communities were highly impacted, 233 medium, and 229 had low impact.

About 3,500 victims were recorded. 346 people were reported injured or killed during the last 24 months. Most victims were adult men, mostly farmers. The main activity leading to accidents was collecting forest resources or farming along the border. The high accident rates and the reported impacts show that a major concern is the risk for accident among the affected villagers.

Most areas contaminated by landmines and UXO are located near the borders, in forests and on mountainous terrain. A total of 934 contaminated areas were reported.