Sri Lanka

Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 17 November 2021

Policy

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 13 December 2017, and the treaty entered into force for the country on 1 June 2018.

Sri Lanka reported that it is in the process of creating implementation legislation for the Mine Ban Treaty.[1] In June 2021, Sri Lanka reported that “Cabinet approval was obtained in September 2020 to proceed with the draft of the prohibition of Anti-Personal Mines Bill.” It noted that several drafts of the bill had been circulated between the Department of Legal Draftsman, the Ministry of Justice, and the Attorney General’s Department. As of April 2021, the bill was with the Department of Legal Draftsman to incorporate all input, after which the Attorney General will place it before the Cabinet of Ministers.[2]

In November 2018, Sri Lanka provided an initial Article 7 report, which provided information “as of 28 November 2018.” Sri Lanka provided updated Article 7 transparency reports in 2019, 2020, and 2021.[3] Previously, Sri Lanka submitted a voluntary Article 7 report in 2005.

Sri Lanka participated in the Mine Ban Treaty Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties, held virtually in November 2020, where it made a statement on clearance. Sri Lanka will serve on the Committee on Article 5 Implementation until the end of the Twentieth Meeting of the States Parties. Sri Lanka participated in the Fourth Review Conference in Oslo in November 2019, where it made statements in the High-Level segment, and during sessions on victim assistance and international cooperation and assistance. Sri Lanka also participated in the virtual intersessional meetings in June–July 2020.

Sri Lanka is a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines.

Production, Transfer, and Use

There is no evidence that the government of Sri Lanka has ever produced or exported antipersonnel landmines. Sri Lanka’s declared stockpile of antipersonnel landmines includes mines of Belgian, Chinese, Italian (or Singaporean), and Pakistani origin, as well as unknown mine types.[4]

Since the end of armed conflict in May 2009, the Monitor has not received any reports of new use of antipersonnel mines by any entity in Sri Lanka.

In October 2009, Sri Lanka Army Commander, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, said that “the use of mines by the Sri Lankan military is strictly limited and restricted to defensive purposes only…to demarcate and defend military installations,” adding that mined areas are “marked accordingly…and relevant records systematically maintained.”[5] Earlier in 2009, Brigadier Lasantha Wickramasuriya acknowledged that the Sri Lanka Army had used antipersonnel mines in the past, including non-detectable Belgian, Chinese, and Italian mines, as well as bounding and fragmentation mines of Pakistani, Portuguese, and United States (US) manufacture.[6]

Prior to the end of armed conflict, in particular in 2008 and 2009, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) laid large numbers of mines across the north of Sri Lanka.[7] Prior to its demise, the LTTE was considered expert in making explosive weapons. It was known to produce several types of antipersonnel mines: Jony 95 (a small wooden box mine), Rangan 99 or Jony 99 (a copy of the P4 MK1 Pakistani mine), SN 96 (a Claymore-type mine), fragmentation antipersonnel mines from mortars, and variants of some of these antipersonnel mines—including some with antihandling features—as well as Amman 2000 MK1 and MKII antivehicle mines.[8]

Between 1987–1990, the Indian military/peacekeeping forces also used landmines in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.[9]

Stockpiling and destruction

Sri Lanka initially declared a significant stockpile of 77,865 antipersonnel mines. Its deadline for stockpile destruction was 1 June 2022.[10]

Stockpiled antipersonnel mines initially declared by Sri Lanka[11]

Mine Type

Quantity

P4MK 1

1,828

P4MK 11

68,573

TYPE 72

1,334

VS 50

1,208

Type 1969

254

PRB 409

47

NEL (POF)

10

NEL (CH)

6

P4MK 2

4,605

Total

77,865

 

In its June 2021 Article 7 report, Sri Lanka declared the destruction of 106,113 antipersonnel mines since its previous report, submitted in 2020.[12] This is shown in the following table.

Stockpiled antipersonnel mines destroyed by Sri Lanka (as of June 2021)

Mine Type

Quantity destroyed

Quantity remaining

P4MK I

438

0

P4MK II

54,993

11,840

Type 72

256

0

VS50

210

0

Type 1969

52

0

PRB 409

4

0

NEL (POF)

48,792

0

NEL (CH)

1,368

0

Total

106,113

11,840

 

Sri Lanka announced in October 2021 that it had completed its obligation to destroy its stockpile during the late summer of 2021.[13] The remaining 11,840 antipersonnel landmines were destroyed in Kilinochchi district, Northern province, well in advance of its deadline.[14]

Retention

In its initial Article 7 report, Sri Lanka declared the retention of 21,153 antipersonnel landmines. However, in June 2021, Sri Lanka reported that the quantity retained for training had decreased to 16,718 as a result of mines being consumed by its training program.[15]

Sri Lanka states that its retained antipersonnel mines “are used for training of mine detection dogs, training and testing on mechanical assets and equipment used in de-mining activities and testing de-miners PPE [personal protective equipment] in consideration of blast effects produced by different types of antipersonnel mines.” Sri Lanka also reported that its army, navy, air force, and the police use retained mines in training programs at their own facilities, but added that “part of retained mines are used in training which are conducted by the Institute of Peacekeeping Support Operations in Sri Lanka (IPSOT-SL), for the benefit of the SLA [Sri Lanka Army] troops in peacekeeping missions.”[16]

Antipersonnel mines retained by Sri Lanka (as of June 2021)

Type

Quantity retained

Mines consumed during training

P4MK I

1,778

759

P4MK II

12,619

210

Type 72

1,078

256

VS50

998

210

Type 1969

202

52

PRB 409

43

4

P4MK 2

0

2,944

Total

16,718

4,435

 

This represents the largest number of landmines currently retained by any State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Sri Lanka’s most recent Article 7 report, submitted in June 2021, states that the mines will be retained for training by the Sri Lanka Army, Air Force, Navy, and the police.



[1] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, April 2019. See, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Database. Section 2 of the report states, “The Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Ministry of Justice to liaise with the Legal Draftsman's Department to draft enabling legislation, considering the dualist nature of the Sri Lankan legal system. Accordingly, a preliminary draft has been made available to which the Attorney General’s Department has also provided their comments. Considering the importance of following an inclusive process, the draft will be taken up for discussion among all key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence, pursuant to being submitted for the final approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.” Sri Lanka previously reported that the draft legislation was being reviewed by “key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence,” prior to being submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for final approval. See, Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, November 2018, Form A.

[2] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021, Form A.

[3] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, April 2019; Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, (undated, contains information for both 2019 and 2020); and Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021.

[4] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, November 2018. 1,828 P4MK1 (Pakistani origin); 73,178 P4MK2 (Pakistan); 1,334 Type 72 (China); 1,208 VS50 (Italy); 254 Type 1969 (unknown); and 47 PRB409 (Belgian).

[5]Flow of arms to terrorists must stop,” Sri Lanka Guardian, 28 October 2009.

[6] Presentation on Humanitarian Demining by Brig. Lasantha Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka Army, Bangkok Workshop on Achieving a Mine-Free South-East Asia, 2 April 2009. The presentation included a section entitled “Types of Mines Used by the Sri Lankan Army,” followed by photographs and titles: P4MK1 (Pakistani antipersonnel mine); M72 (Chinese antipersonnel mine); VS-50 (Italian antipersonnel mine); M16A1 (US bounding antipersonnel mine, however the photograph shows what appears to be a P7 MK 1 Pakistani or PRBM966 Portuguese bounding mine); PRB 415 (photograph shows what appears to be an NR 409 Belgian antipersonnel mine); PRB 413 (photograph shows what appears to be a Portuguese M421 antipersonnel mine); M15 and ND MK1 antivehicle mines; and M18A1 Claymore mines. The Monitor had previously reported that Sri Lanka acquired antipersonnel mines from China, Italy (or Singapore), Pakistan, Portugal, and perhaps Belgium, the US, and others. In its voluntary Article 7 report submitted in 2005, Sri Lanka noted the presence of these antipersonnel mines in minefields: P4MK1, P4MK2, P4MK3, P5MK1, Type 69 (Pakistan); PRB 413 (Portugal/Pakistan); PRB 409, M696 (Portugal); Type 66, Type 72 (China); and VS-50 (Italy/Singapore). See, Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Voluntary Article 7 Report, 13 June 2005, Forms C and H. The Monitor previously identified the following antipersonnel mines as having been used by government troops in the past: P4 and P3 MK (manufactured by Pakistan); Type 72, Type 72A, and Type 69 (China); VS-50 (Italy or Singapore); NR409/PRB (Belgium); M409 and M696 (Portugal); and M18A1 Claymore mines (US). See, ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2004: Toward a Mine-Free World (New York: Human Rights Watch, October 2004), p. 1,118; and ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2005: Toward a Mine-Free World (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2005,) p. 881.

[7] See, ICBL, Landmine Monitor 2010 (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2010), p. 14.

[8] Presentation on Humanitarian Demining by Brig. Lasantha Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka Army, Bangkok Workshop on Achieving a Mine-Free South-East Asia, 2 April 2009. Sri Lanka previously provided technical details of the Jony 95 and Jony 99 mines, which it identified as “produced and used” by the LTTE. Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Voluntary Article 7 Report, 13 June 2005, Form H. See also, ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Toward a Mine-Free World (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2008), p. 1017. Maj. Mangala Balasuriya of the Sri Lanka Army’s Field Engineering Brigade stated that during the last stages of the war they encountered a modified antipersonnel landmine that used white phosphorus. Monitor telephone interview with Maj. Mangala Herath, Field Engineering Brigade, Sri Lanka Army, 25 June 2009.

[9] Statement of Sri Lanka, Mine Ban Treaty Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 26 November 2018.

[10] In November 2018, Sri Lanka announced that physical destruction of its stockpile had already started and that the destruction of 57,033 antipersonnel mines had occurred prior to November 2018. Sri Lanka’s total stockpile prior to destruction commencing was 134,898 antipersonnel mines, including mines intended to be retained for training and research. Sri Lanka also stated its intent to complete stockpile destruction by the end of 2020. See, Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, November 2018, Form B. In its June 2021 Article 7 report, Sri Lanka declared a remaining stockpile of 11,840 antipersonnel landmines and projected their destruction would be complete in July 2021. See, Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021, Section 3, Table 2.

[11] The total number of P4MK 2 mines combines 3,912 reported by the Air Force and 693 reported by the police.

[12] This figure appears to include mines consumed in training. There is a discrepancy of 227 mines in the totals reported in Sri Lanka’s June 2021 Article 7 report and its initial Article 7 report, submitted in 2018.

[13] In its initial Article 7 report, submitted on 28 November 2018, Sri Lanka declared a stockpile of 77,865 antipersonnel mines. See also, Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021, Section 3, Table 2.

[14] Mine Ban Treaty Implementation Support Unit (ISU) press release, “Nearly 12,000 landmines destroyed by Sri Lanka under the Mine Ban Convention,” 1 October 2021.

[15] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021, Sections 3 and 4. The report states, “The quantity has decreased to 16,718 as a result of being used for training of mine detection dogs, training and testing on mechanical assets and equipment used in de-mining activities.”

[16] Sri Lanka Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, June 2021, Sections 3 and 4.