Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Land mine threat still real in NE: UN report
Nearly 500,000 people in 405 villages were believed to be threatened by mines in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullativu, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara, the UN Mine Action Report on Sri Lanka for 2004 said.
The UN report issued prior to the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, to be held end November, stated that Landmines, UXO and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) stemming from the almost two decades of armed conflict were causing between 15 to 20 casualties daily.
Mine and UXO in Sri Lanka have been assessed as 'containable' on condition that the present peace process continues and that donor funding for capacity building and operations meet the current demand for expansion and procedural de-mining. The report stressed the necessity for continued coordination and quality management in de-mining operations, gathering and dissemination of data and management on mine action.
The annual expenditure for mine action in Colombo is nearly US$ 16 millions and includes the clearing of nearly 3,000 minefields and 700,000 land mines.
Sri Lanka officially became a party last month to the convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which also prohibits the indiscriminate use of land mines and their intentional use on civilians during a war.
However Sri Lanka is yet to ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines or the Mines Ban Treaty. As of June 30, 2004 143 states had ratified the convention, which came into force on March 1, 1999
The UN report issued prior to the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, to be held end November, stated that Landmines, UXO and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) stemming from the almost two decades of armed conflict were causing between 15 to 20 casualties daily.
Mine and UXO in Sri Lanka have been assessed as 'containable' on condition that the present peace process continues and that donor funding for capacity building and operations meet the current demand for expansion and procedural de-mining. The report stressed the necessity for continued coordination and quality management in de-mining operations, gathering and dissemination of data and management on mine action.
The annual expenditure for mine action in Colombo is nearly US$ 16 millions and includes the clearing of nearly 3,000 minefields and 700,000 land mines.
Sri Lanka officially became a party last month to the convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which also prohibits the indiscriminate use of land mines and their intentional use on civilians during a war.
However Sri Lanka is yet to ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines or the Mines Ban Treaty. As of June 30, 2004 143 states had ratified the convention, which came into force on March 1, 1999
