Key
developments since May 2001: There have been no reports of new use of mines
by either government or rebel forces since December 2001. A formal cease-fire
agreement came into force on 23 February 2002. In January 2002, for the first
time, a leader of the LTTE rebels expressed support for a ban on antipersonnel
mines. Sri Lanka’s Defense Secretary has estimated that there are some
700,000 mines in the ground. The cease-fire is finally enabling significant
mine action activities, but there is great concern about mine dangers to
displaced persons as they begin to return home. In March 2002, the World Bank
committed US$1 million for a new UNDP-led mine action project. UNICEF has
resumed mine risk education programs in Jaffna. It would appear that reported
new mine casualties increased during 2001, to more than 300.
MINE BAN POLICY
Sri Lanka has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty.
However, Sri Lanka voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 56/24M in
November 2001, calling for universalization of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[1] While it did not
participate as an observer at the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine
Ban Treaty in September 2001, Sri Lanka did attend the intersessional Standing
Committee meetings in January and May 2002. Although not a party to Amended
Protocol II to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Sri Lanka
participated as an observer at the Third Annual Conference of the States Parties
to Amended Protocol II and the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001.
For the first time, a leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
has expressed support for a ban on antipersonnel
mines.[2] Responding to an
initiative launched by the Inter-Religious Peace Foundation (a Sri Lankan member
of the ICBL), the LTTE’s eastern province leader Karikalan declared that
“full support will be accorded to the people’s letter with two
million signatures requesting the banning of
landmines.”[3]
The Inter-Religious Peace Foundation started the signature campaign, aimed at
getting two million signatures from people in both government and
LTTE-controlled areas, in January 2002; it urges the government to accede to the
Mine Ban Treaty and the LTTE to stop using antipersonnel landmines.
USE
In nearly two decades of conflict, both Sri Lankan
government forces and the LTTE have used antipersonnel mines extensively. There
was a significant reduction in the level of fighting during the latter part of
2001 and nearly a complete halt since December 2001, following the unilateral
cease-fires declared by each
side.[4] A formal cease-fire
agreement came into force on 23 February 2002. There have been no reports of
new laying of mines by either side since December 2001.
Sri Lankan forces have typically used antipersonnel mines as defensive
barriers around army front line positions, as well as key installations and
facilities, and to prevent the LTTE from re-occupying areas of Jaffna; the mines
are reportedly usually laid in a specific pattern and in marked and mapped
minefields.[5] However, a
senior Army officer told the UN in June 2001 that the Army probably lost more
soldiers to its own minefields than LTTE. According to a UN report, the officer
also said that the utility of antipersonnel mines was limited, because they were
expensive and cumbersome to deploy, maintain and
move.[6]
The same June 2001 UN report states, “Landmines are being used by both
parties, mainly in accordance with conventional military tactics.... Neither
Government forces nor LTTE seem to use landmines to target civilian populations
or to deny civilian population access to particular
areas.”[7] This contrasts
with information given to Landmine Monitor in early 2000 that the LTTE sometimes
has used mines and IEDs to deny people access to facilities, shelter, food, and
water.[8]
PRODUCTION, TRANSFER AND STOCKPILING
There is no evidence that Sri Lanka has produced
or exported antipersonnel landmines. Landmine Monitor has reported in the past
that the LTTE is considered expert at making Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs), but also produces the Jony mine (a small wooden box mine) in significant
numbers, as well as a Claymore-type
mine.[9] Landmine Monitor now
has photographic evidence that the LTTE has also produced a plastic
antipersonnel landmine called “Rangan 99,” which resembles the
Pakistani P4 mine, and an antivehicle mine called “Amman 2000
MK1.”[10]
The Sri Lankan government and the LTTE will not disclose the number or types
of antipersonnel mines they have stockpiled, but the United Nations Development
Program has reported finding Pakistani P4, Chinese Type 72, and Italian VS/50
antipersonnel mines laid by government
troops.[11] Humanitarian aid
workers report that it is mostly the Pakistani P4 that is being unearthed in
demining operations carried out by the LTTE.
LANDMINE PROBLEM
The use of antipersonnel mines has resulted in
large areas of fertile agricultural land, urban areas, roads, water resources,
and livestock in the northern and eastern parts of the country being seriously
affected, particularly in Jaffna and the Vanni. Unfortunately, mines have been
laid in some of the most heavily populated and most fertile areas.
Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Austin Fernando estimated that the
peninsula’s roads and farmlands are riddled with around 700,000 mines
planted by government forces and the
LTTE.[12] In 1999, the
government had estimated that 25,000 mines were planted. The LTTE has estimated
that there are now two million antipersonnel landmines in the areas under LTTE
control.[13]
In April 2001, the UN reported that antipersonnel mines were threatening the
resettlement of displaced persons in LTTE-held
areas.[14] The problem is only
rising in scale with the cease-fire in place. The anticipation of imminent
movement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is creating serious concern
regarding the need for mine clearance, minefield marking and mine risk
education.[15] Indeed, it has
already been reported that thousands of displaced people are spontaneously
returning home before mine clearance has
occurred.[16]
The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) conducted a mission to Sri Lanka, from
4-22 June 2001, to assess the landmine and mine action situation. It found,
among other things, that minefields are physically marked, but the marking is
often decayed and
insufficient.[17]
MINE ACTION FUNDING
Most mine action activities had halted in 2000 due
to the escalation of fighting, and international donors were reluctant to
support mine action as both the government and the rebels continued laying
landmines.[18] The cease-fire
signed in February 2002 is finally enabling significant mine action activities
in mine-affected areas.
On 26 March 2002, the World Bank announced that it had committed US$1 million
for a UNDP-implemented Landmine Action Project, which includes strengthening of
survey and mapping capacity, and training deminers in areas under the civil
administration.[19] In
addition, UNDP contributed US$300,000 and UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS)
US$58,000 to this
project.[20]
In February 2002, the Australian government committed US$75,000 to the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for mine action expert advise and mine
risk education activities with the objective of facilitating the return of
internally displaced persons in the northern and eastern parts of the
country.[21] In June 2002, the
Australian government signed an agreement with UNDP to provide A$500,000 (about
US$285,000) for mine action.[22]
The Sri Lankan Minister of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees
estimated that the demining of one war-ravaged town, Chavakachcheri, and its
environs in the northern region will cost 300 million rupees (about US$3.2
million).[23]
UNICEF received US$75,000 during 2001 from the governments of the UK and
Sweden for mine risk education
activities.[24] Some US$60,000
was spent on mine risk education programs in areas under the control of the
government and US$15,000 in LTTE-controlled
areas.[25]
MINE ACTION COORDINATION
A new mine action project, to be led by UNDP with
significant input from other UN agencies, is underway in Sri Lanka. UNDP has
signed a Preparatory Assistance Document with the Sri Lanka government. A UN
Interagency Mine Action Working Group (UNIMAWG) has been functioning since
September 2001.[26] In November
2001, the UNIMAWG made a feasibility assessment for a mine action
program.[27] As of June 2002,
a UNDP technical team was in place in Sri
Lanka.[28] In the short- term,
UNDP activities are being coordinated with UNICEF and UNHCR to support IDP
resettlement. The new project will focus on collection of data on the mine
problem, and building national and local capacities, including development of a
national structure to coordinate mine action
activities.[29]
In December 2001, the non-governmental Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
(CHA) established the Mine Action Resource Centre (MARC), with the objective of
providing a facilitation and liaison body for Sri Lankan and international
agencies involved in mine action or working in affected
areas.[30]
MINE CLEARANCE AND ASSESSMENT
The Engineering unit of the Sri Lankan Army, the
LTTE, and the non-governmental Humanitarian Demining Unit (HDU) are engaged in
mine clearance operations. The Army announced that it had removed 681
antipersonnel landmines in a demining operation to open the main highway to the
north (the A9).[31] The UN Mine
Action Service found that the Army’s “equipment and procedures had
not been adopted to meet specific requirements of humanitarian mine action...and
several basic safety measures were not
implemented.”[32] It also
noted, “Dismantling rather than destruction was the standard method of
disposal. The mission was not able to ascertain whether cleared mines were
recycled or destroyed.”
The LTTE was also involved in demining certain areas of the A9 highway, and
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reportedly coordinated
information between the Army and
LTTE.[33]
In 2001, Sri Lankan security forces reportedly removed 14,937 antipersonnel
mines, 183 Claymore mines, and 268 IEDs in the northern and eastern parts of the
country.[34] The LTTE claims
to have removed 82,000 antipersonnel landmines during the period 20 April 2000
to 31 December 2001.[35] One
news account says the LTTE is using garden rakes and prods to unearth mines;
they water the earth to make it softer and then they prod it with bamboo spokes
and metal forks.[36]
The Humanitarian Demining Unit is operating in areas controlled by the
LTTE.[37] It is a
non-governmental organization of about 125 persons. It works under and is
funded by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, which is responsible for
coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts in LTTE
areas.[38] One expert has
judged the Humanitarian Demining Unit’s clearance efforts as “very
impressive” and making “a tremendous impact on the
ground.”[39] HDU told
UNMAS that it had cleared more than 55,000 mines during 11 months of
operations.[40] UNMAS again
noted that “dismantling rather than destruction was the standard method of
disposal.”[41]
From 21-27 March 2002, the UK-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and Norwegian
People's Aid (NPA) conducted a joint assessment mission to the Vanni region
controlled by the LTTE. The mission assessed landmine contamination, conducted
basic verification of clearance of the A9 road, and reviewed the ongoing
clearance work of the Humanitarian Demining
Unit.[42] As of July 2002, MAG
and NPA were working to build the landmine clearance capacity of the
HDU.[43]
In early April 2002, five members of the US State Department's Quick Reaction
Demining Force (QRDF) assessed the mine situation in order to undertake
emergency demining in areas prioritized by the Sri Lankan
government.[44] The State
Department said, “This deployment is in response to the Sri Lankan
Government’s plan to resettle some 200,000 internally displaced persons,
who will have to travel through heavily mined areas in the Vanni and
Killinochchi regions, as well as the Jaffna
Peninsula.”[45] Full
deployment of the QRDF took place on 20 April, and the mission will end in
August. The US notes, “The work of the QRDF took place on behalf of both
sides in the recent
conflict.”[46] The QRDF in
Sri Lanka includes 20 Mozambican demining technicians and four specially trained
dogs and their handlers.[47]
In May 2002, MAG conducted an assessment of the mine problem in the
government-controlled areas of Mannar District, at the request of ZOA, a Dutch
NGO working with refugees and IDPs. MAG identified an urgent need for mine risk
education for those about to return to mine-affected
areas.[48]
The Halo Trust and RONCO have established a presence in Sri Lanka. RONCO is
undertaking clearance in Jaffna, coordinated by the Army, and funded by the
United States.[49]
MINE RISK EDUCATION
When the UN mine action project in Jaffna
terminated in 2000, its mine awareness program also ceased to function.
However, the UNDP provided funding to continue mine risk education activities
through government structures.
UNICEF has recommenced mine risk education programs in Jaffna. It funds
programs conducted by government structures, the local NGO Refugee
Rehabilitation Organization and Save The Children-UK in the areas of the Jaffna
peninsula under government
control.[50] Save The
Children-UK started a mine risk education program in April 2002, due to run
until March 2003. The program received funding from UNICEF, about US$20,000,
and from Save the Children Fund, US$2,000. UNICEF also funds a mine awareness
project conducted by White Pigeon, a local NGO based in the area controlled by
the LTTE. Mine awareness programs include drama, educational material such as
posters and handbooks, placement of warning signs, and marking of certain mined
areas.
As part of its activities in Sri Lanka since July 2002, the Mines Advisory
Group has deployed two Mine Awareness Support
Teams.[51]
The Inter-Religious Peace Foundation incorporates basic mine awareness
messages into its peace programs conducted in areas suspected to be contaminated
with landmines. The Interfaith Fellowship for Peace and Development (IFPD)
promoted two mine risk education initiatives in first half of 2002. On 14 May
2002, it held a one-day workshop on “Mine Risk Education” in
Vavuniya district, Northern province. The workshop, financed by UNICEF, was
directed at governmental organizations and NGOs concerned by mines and UXO
problem. In June, IFPD organized a Posters Exhibition and Competition involving
500 school children from five schools in border
areas.[52]
LANDMINE CASUALTIES
In 2001, there was no centralized agency recording
landmine casualties in Sri Lanka. From the available information, it would
appear that reported new casualties increased during 2001. Data, collected from
various sources, indicates more than 300 new mine casualties. However, it is
believed that mine casualties continue to be underreported. In 2000, at least
223 new mine casualties were
reported.[53]
For the period up to 23 May 2001, 34 civilian mine casualties had been
reported in Jaffna, together with 17 civilian casualties registered by the ICRC
in LTTE-controlled area.[54] It
was reported in the media that there were 86 civilian casualties on the Jaffna
peninsula during the year
2001.[55] In early April 2001,
a military spokesperson stated that nearly 100 people had been killed or injured
by landmines so far that
year.[56] The Jaipur Foot
Center in Kundasale reported it had provided 96 prostheses to new landmine
casualties during 2001.[57]
Save the Children Fund-UK recorded 50 people injured and three killed due to
landmine explosions in 2001 in the areas controlled by the
LTTE.[58]
In 2001, landmines continued to inflict casualties on Sri Lankan military and
LTTE personnel. In January 2001, an accident while demining on the Jaffna
peninsula killed at least eleven Sri Lankan
soldiers.[59] UNMAS reported
that in April 2001, during an offensive in Jaffna, government forces lost
between 180 and 300 soldiers to landmines
alone.[60] In two separate
incidents, in May and June 2001, 62 military personnel were killed or injured
when the buses in which they were traveling hit antivehicle
landmines.[61]
SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
According to the UNMAS mission in June 2001, Sri
Lanka has sufficient transport and medical infrastructure to provide the
necessary medical care to civilian landmine casualties; however, this
infrastructure is likely to be less effective in LTTE-controlled areas. In
government-controlled Jaffna assistance is available at the Jaffna Teaching
Hospital, the Manthikay Base Hospital, and other medical facilities. The ICRC,
working with the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society, provided basic health services in
remote areas through public health centers and mobile clinics. In June 2001,
together with the Sri Lankan army’s medical services, over 150 doctors
attended a training seminar on war
surgery.[62] Medecins Sans
Frontieres also provided support to medical facilities in the LTTE-controlled
areas.[63]
Sri Lanka has several prosthetic clinics that are generally able to respond
to the physical rehabilitation needs of civilian mine/UXO survivors in
government-controlled areas. Three workshops are producing, adapting and
renewing prostheses, with financial assistance from several national and
international organizations, including the
ICRC.[64] The Colombo
Friends-in-Need Society's Jaipur Foot Program, with headquarters in Colombo and
branches in other parts of the country provide prostheses to all amputees who
come to them, including landmine survivors. Civilian amputees are provided
prostheses free of charge. Donors to the program include
USAID.[65] In 2001, the Colombo
Friends-in-Need Society's Colombo facility provided prostheses to 343 security
forces personnel and 17 civilians injured by
landmines[66] and its Jaffna and
Kundasale facilities provided
123[67] and
121[68] prostheses,
respectively, to civilian landmine survivors. The Rotary Club of Batticaloa
provided 14 prostheses[69] and
the Rotary Club of Colombo East (at their facility in Mannar) provided 54
prostheses[70] to civilian
landmine survivors in 2001.
The ICRC stated that it finances the position of a full-time expatriate
orthopedic technician at the Colombo Friends-in-Need Society’s Jaffna
facility.[71] In 2001, the ICRC
reported that physical rehabilitation services were provided for patients who
received 257 prostheses; 51 percent of the patients were mine survivors. Half
of the prostheses were made with the traditional aluminum technology, and half
with polypropylene. Two technicians received a one-month training in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as continuous on-the-job training in polypropylene
technology for two prosthetic and two orthotic
technicians.[72] The ICRC also
transports amputees to government-controlled areas for physical
rehabilitation.[73]
The NGO White Pigeon operates in the areas controlled by the LTTE. It has
two workshops that manufacture prostheses and in March 2001 reported that there
were over 400 amputees on the waiting list for
prostheses.[74] In 2001, UNICEF
provided White Pigeon with about US$20,000 for the production of prostheses for
landmine survivors[75], and the
ICRC reported that it had supplied material for the production of 83
prostheses.[76]
UNICEF also supports psychosocial counseling and community based
rehabilitation through the NGOs: Association for Rehabilitation of Displaced
(AROD), Kilinochchi Association for Rehabilitation of Displaced (KAROD), and
White Pigeons.[77] AROD has
three rehabilitation workers trained in physiotherapy and counseling. Support
starts after admission to hospital and continues after discharge. Amputees are
provided with physiotherapy and counseling at home and are assisted in the
fitting of prostheses. Financial and other assistance is also provided. The
budget for 2001/2002 is
US$8,000.[78]
A British NGO, Hope for Children, works in partnership with the Colombo
Friends-in-Need society to assist child landmine survivors. Hope’s work
extends beyond just the fitting of artificial limbs as each child receives a
physical and psychological assessment. Assistance is also available to attend
school or vocational training programs. In a major development in September
2001, Hope for Children introduced an artificial limb manufacturing and fitting
vehicle, said to be a world first, which will be traveling to remote and
isolated areas. The project is supported by the Diana, Princess of Wales
Memorial Fund.[79]
There are no social or economic reintegration programs specifically targeted
at antipersonnel mine survivors. There are, however, various general
rehabilitation projects underway in the country, including in Jaffna,
implemented by a variety of organizations both local and
international.[80]
One of the short-term goals of the new UNDP Mine Action Project in Sri Lanka
is the development of a coordinated national policy for victim assistance and
rehabilitation.[81]
[1] Sri Lanka also voted in favor of
similar pro-ban UNGA resolutions in the
past. [2] The LTTE is an armed
separatist group fighting for self-rule in the northern and eastern parts of Sri
Lanka. [3] Daily Mirror, 25 January
2002, p. 5. [4] The LTTE unilaterally
declared a month-long cease-fire commencing from 24 December 2001, and extended
it until February 2002. The government reciprocated by also declaring a
unilateral cease-fire. [5] Damitha
Hemachandra, “Tragedy of the mine victims,” Daily Mirror, 20
February 2002, p.12; see also, Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
578. [6] United Nations Mine Action
Service Mission Report, Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p.
11. [7] UNMAS Mission Report, Sri Lanka,
4-22 June 2001, p. 5. [8] Email from
Edward Chalmers, UNDP/UNOPS, 31 March 2000. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001,
p. 578. [9] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 577. [10] Photographs available
with Landmine Monitor Researcher for Sri Lanka. The number attached to the
names may indicate the year of production. The antivehicle mine is used in
conjunction with two or three antipersonnel
mines. [11] Email from Matthew Todd,
UNDP, 18 January 2001; email from Edward Chalmers, UNDP/UNOPS, 31 March
2000. [12] Krishna Francis, “Sri
Lanka signs agreement with United States for de-mining project,”
Associated Press (Colombo), 3 May 2002.
[13] Ranil Wijayapala, “A-9
demining on course,” Daily News, 7 February 2002, p. 1; Frances Harrison,
“The scars of Sri Lanka’s war,” BBC (Kilinochchi), 23 January
2002. [14] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 578. [15] Email from Greg
Crowther, Project Coordinator, Mines Advisory Group, 18 June 2002. This was a
conclusion of MAG’s assessment mission in March
2002. [16] Frances Harrison,
“Trauma haunts Sri Lanka: Bombs and mines have killed thousands,”
BBC (Colombo), 31 May 2002. [17] UNMAS
Mission Report, Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p.
6. [18] Frances Harrison, “Trauma
haunts Sri Lanka,” BBC, 31 May
2002. [19]
http://www.worldbank.org/developmentnews/stories/html/032602a.htm. [20]
Telephone interview with Mitchell Carlson, Program Manager, UNDP, Colombo, 8
April 2002. [21] Email from Brian
Agland, Australian High Commission in Colombo, 4 April
2002. [22] Interview with Mitchell
Carlson, Program Manager, UNDP, Colombo, 1 July
2002. [23] Pramod de Silva,
“De-mining in Chavakachcheri to cost Rs. 300m,” Daily News, 16
January 2002, p.1. [24] Telephone
interview with Jean-Luc Bories, Head of Program, Children Affected by Armed
Conflict, UNICEF, Sri Lanka, 5 April
2002. [25]
Ibid. [26] Email from Peter Isaacs, Mine
Action Team Consultant, UNDP, 20 June
2002. [27] Interview with Mitchell
Carlson, Program Manager, UNDP, Colombo, 1 July
2002. [28] A first Technical Adviser
arrived on 23 May 2002, a second on 6 June, and the Chief Technical Adviser
arrived on 14 June 2002. Email from Peter Isaacs, Mine Action Team Consultant,
UNDP, 20 June 2002. [29] Email from
Peter Isaacs, Mine Action Team Consultant, UNDP, 19 June
2002. [30] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Tim Carstairs, Director for Policy, Mines Advisory Group, 30 July
2002. MAG provided a specialist advisor to this
body. [31] Sunil Jayasiri, Daily News,
13 February 2002, p. 4. [32] UNMAS
Mission Report, Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p.
8. [33] Ranil Wijayapala, Daily News, 7
February 2002, p.1. [34] Ibid.,
p.12. [35] TamilNet
http://www.tamilnet.com/reports, 1 January
2002. [36] Frances Harrison,
“Hidden legacy of Sri Lanka’s war,” BBC, Kilinochchi, Sri
Lanka, 4 February 2002. [37] It is also
called the Humanitarian Demining
Bureau. [38] Email from Greg Crowther,
Project Coordinator, MAG, 18 June 2002; email from Richard Moyes, Program
Manager, MAG Sri Lanka, 4 April
2002. [39] Email from Greg Crowther,
Project Coordinator, MAG, 18June 2002. Crowther notes that despite lack of
funds, equipment and qualified staff, and despite using primitive tools (rakes)
and simple techniques, the clearance rate of 30-50 square meters per deminer per
day is high, and the number of demining accidents is low (three serious
accidents since April 2000). [40] UNMAS
Mission Report, Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p.
9. [41]
Ibid. [42] Email from Greg Crowther,
Project Coordinator, MAG, 18 June 2002; email from Richard Moyes, MAG, 4 April
2002. [43] Email from Richard Moyes,
MAG, Colombo, 9 July 2002. [44] US State
Department, Fact Sheet, “Humanitarian Mine Action Subgroup Minutes of June
14, 2002 Meeting,” 10 July 2002; “US demining team here to undertake
emergency work,” Daily Mirror, 2 April 2002, p.4; “US demining
experts arrive,” Daily News, 2 April 2002,
p.1. [45] US State Department,
“Media Note: Demining Assistance to Sri Lanka,” 2 April 2002.
[46] US State Department, Fact Sheet,
“Humanitarian Mine Action Subgroup Minutes of June 14, 2002
Meeting,” 10 July 2002. The US also notes that Sri Lanka was formerly
off-limits to the US demining program, and that the engagement of the QRDF
“was deemed critical to the pursuit of peace initiatives and US Government
policy.” [47] Fax from Chulie de
Silva, Information Specialist, US Embassy, Colombo, 8 July 2002. See also,
Daily Mirror, 2 April 2002, p.4; “US demining experts arrive in Sri
Lanka,” Associated Press (Colombo), 1 April 2002. The State Department
indicated that the QRDF will be implemented by RONCO Consulting Corporation (a
commercial demining firm), which would employ two teams, each with ten persons,
with the support of mine detection dogs. US State Department, “Media
Note: Demining Assistance to Sri Lanka,” 2 April
2002. [48] Email to Landmine Monitor
(HRW) from Tim Carstairs, Director for Policy, MAG, 30 July
2002. [49] Email from Peter Isaacs, Mine
Action Team Consultant, UNDP, 20 June
2002. [50] Telephone interview with
Jean-Luc Bories, Head of Program, Children Affected by Armed Conflict, UNICEF,
Sri Lanka, 5 April 2002. [51] See
http://www.mag.org.uk. [52] Email from
Wilbert A. Silva, Director, Landmines Project, Interfaith Fellowship for Peace
and Development, 1 July 2002. [53] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
580. [54] UNMAS Mission Report, Sri
Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p. 7. [55]
Damitha Hemachandra, “Tragedy of the mine victims,” Daily Mirror, 20
February 2002, p.12. [56] Frances
Harrison , “Sri Lanka Landmine Deaths High,” BBC (Colombo), 4 April
2001. [57] Telephone interview with Ms.
C.P. Ariyapala, Jaipur Foot Center, Kundasale, 4 April
2002. [58] Email from R. Kumara, SCF
(UK) Colombo, 9 April 2002. [59]
“Land mine explosion kills 11 Sri Lankan soldiers,” Reuters, 24
January 2001. [60] UNMAS Mission Report,
Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p. 6. [61]
Nirupama Subramanian, “17 sailors killed in landmine blast,” 24 May
2001, (indiaserver.com); and “Tamil separatists kill four Sri Lankan
soldiers in blast,” AFP, 25 June
2001. [62] ICRC Special Report, Mine
Action 2001, ICRC, Geneva, July 2002, p.
25. [63] UNMAS Mission Report, Sri
Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p. 10. [64]
Ibid. [65] Kalyani Ranasinghe, Jaipur
Foot Programme, at the Symposium on the Impact of Landmines in Sri Lanka,
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 29 – 31 March
2001. [66] Fax from Rupa Jayasekera,
Administrative Secretary, Colombo Friends-in-Need Society, 27 March
2002. [67] Telephone interview with
Sivanathan, Administrative Officer, Jaffna Jaipur Foot Centre, 8 April
2002. [68] Telephone interview with Ms.
C.P. Ariyapala, Jaipur Foot Centre, Kundasale, 4 April
2002. [69] Fax from A. Sivapragasam,
Administrative Officer, Jaipur Foot Program (Rotary), Batticaloa, 27 March
2002. [70] Email from Rtn. S.
Shanmuganathan, 8 April 2002. [71] Email
from Arjuna Ranawana, ICRC Colombo, 7 March
2002. [72] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation
Programmes, Annual Report 2001. [73]
UNMAS Mission Report, Sri Lanka, 4-22 June 2001, p. 10.
[74] Interview with S.S. Pillai,
Administrator of White Pigeon, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 31 March
2001. [75] Telephone interview with
Jean-Luc Bories, UNICEF, 5 April
2002. [76] Telephone interview with
Jean-Luc Noverraz, ICRC Colombo, 5 April
2002. [77] Telephone interview and email
from Jean-Luc Bories, UNICEF, 5 April
2002. [78] Portfolio of Landmine Victim
Assistance Programs, ICBL, September 2001, p.
109. [79] Ibid., p.
110. [80] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 581. [81] See
http://www.mineaction.org/countries/_projects.cfm?pro_ID=158&country_id=28.
About Us
Our Research Products