On landmines and explosive remnants of war: raising awareness and taking action

Colombo, 30 April, (Asiantribune.com): It is almost a year since the fighting came to an end in the North of Sri Lanka. The country is left with the huge, on-going task of assisting those who fled the war zone, to return to their homes and villages, and begin their lives anew.

But several areas in the North and East have been heavily mined during years of protracted conflict. A pre-requisite for the safe return of people, therefore, is that the area should be cleared free of landmines. Sri Lanka is taking necessary steps to ensure that the country becomes mine-free for the future.

A seminar for the media in Colombo drew attention to the worldwide campaign to ban landmines and briefed journalists about the scope and impact of this global problem.

Mr. Prasanna Kuruppu, a former air force officer: who became disabled in his both legs due to shelling at the Jaffna’s Palali Airport, leads the Sri Lanka campaign to ban land mines.

In his address Mr. Kuruppu said, “Mine clearance, what are the challenges globally. There are 44 state parties with mine areas, and many thousands of square kilometers of land remains to be cleared. 15 state parties have missed 2009 deadlines; some states still do not know how much land is contaminated. After 10 years now mine effected state parties should be able to say with some degree of certainty how much land has been cleared and how much remains contaminated.

Jaffna, a focal point of fighting before the cease-fire, is the most severely affected area. But the extent of mine contamination worsened after 2006, when the war intensified. Today, the Northern districts of Kilinochchi, Mullaittivu, Mannar and Vavuniya, and the Eastern districts of Amparai, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee are also affected. Demining efforts began in earnest in 2002, with the SLA playing a big role, together with the National Steering Committee for Mine Action, supported and coordinated by UNDP and involving foreign NGOs.

Mr. Monty Ranatunga Director, National Mine Action Centre, Ministry of National Building & Estate Infrastructure Development: “Now we have presidential taskforce to undertake a development and resettlement program in the northern province, we have to work according to their direction. We have a vision as many organizations have. Our vision is to see a mine-threat-free Sri Lanka.

Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, former military spokesman and present Chief Field Engineer Sri Lanka Army: In his speech said, “In Sri Lanka during this 30 year-long fight against terrorism according to my records total of 21,993 have become victims of land mines, civilians 1419. This figure may be varying because this figure I have taken as sample from 285 thousand returnees from the affected areas during the conflict. Sri Lanka Army has 3686 amputees, Navy 8 , Air force 21, Police 43, Civil Defence force 12, and LTTE according to my figures 16804 mine victims.

Ironically, it only cost $3 SL Rs.300 to make an anti personal mine, but for clearing one mine it cost $1000, SL Rs. 100,000. While the rehabilitation of one of its victims a long and tedious process would amount to Rs. 1 million, or more than that.”

As important as mine clearance is awareness about mines – known as ‘mine risk education’ – where people learn how to make sure they do not fall a victim to the mines that may be lying around. This is a task that UNICEF has been undertaking together with local NGO partners among conflict affected communities in Sri Lanka

Mr.Sebastian Kasack, Mine Action Specialist,UNICEF: “With the return of people released from the camps we kicked off the emergency mines education campaign in the IDP camps in the transit sides prior to the resettlement and arranged to go into the communities, access which has reduced the capacity to some extent but we now want to place also new teams into Mullaitivu and Killinochi.

This seminar, on Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War, targets the media to both raise awareness about it among the public as well as to highlight the need to ensure that landmines are not used in the future. Sri Lanka has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, but in the past this was linked to agreement with the LTTE’s use of the weapon. But now this situation has changed. Sri Lanka too could join the 132 countries of the world that have taken the decision to ban the use of landmines.

Demining reaches final stages in Mullaithivu

The Sri Lanka army which is assisting the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the war ravaged north has reached its final stages of demining the war torn Mullaithivu district.

Around 1200 military personnel from the Army Engineers Corp has been assisting the demining process and is now clearing the Pudukkudiyirripu area of the Mullaithivu district.

Areas such as Mullaithivu town, Mullavili and Oddusudan have now been cleared of all land mines that were placed by the LTTE who were defeated by the government troops last year.

The Military Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Prasad Samarasinghe told Asian Tribune that priority of their demining has been given to areas where people can be resettled. He also added that the demining process and the resettlement of IDPs will completely end shortly.

“The main reason we couldn’t resettle IDPs faster was mainly due to the land mines that were planted by the LTTE terrorists. But we have managed to act fast and resettle the people,” he said.

“We are now coming towards the final phase of demining. The reason why we are taking a lot of caution in the Mullaithivu district is because this is where the final battle took place. And this area is heavily mined. Our army engineers are also assisting in the reconstruction of roads, building and irrigation tanks that were damaged or destroyed during the war,” Maj. Gen. Samarasinghe said.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has applauded the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to resettle over 200,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) since the end of the war.

- Asian Tribune -