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by Florence Wickramage

The Sri Lanka Campaign to ban landmines in launching the current signature petition programme highlights that over 4000 members of the Armed Forces had suffered landmine injuries in the year 1999. Even though the LTTE provides no information, an NGO White Pigeon, operating in LTTE controlled areas have stated that 179 landmine victims had been reported in the period January to October 2000.

The Campaign further refers to the Landmine Monitor Report 2001 which states that the UN had reported 24 civilian landmine casualties for the period January to April 2001. In early April 2001, a military spokesman had stated that nearly 100 people had been killed or wounded by landmines so far last year.

Meanwhile Ven. Madampagama Assaji Thera in stressing the importance of the Government acceding to the Mine Ban Treaty said that the UNICEF is in the process of taking over the mine awareness programme in Jaffna after the termination of the UN project in May 2000 due to the escalation of the armed conflict.

Ven. Assaji said that the present government when in the opposition mooted the proposal to ban landmines. He said he was confident that now that they in the government would continue its support to ban antipersonnel landmines.

Even though the earlier signature petition had not received a favourable response, the Ven. Thera hoped the current campaign with 2 million citizen's signature petition to be presented to the Government and the LTTE by March 01 this year would prove successful. Ven. Assaji Thera said that since all religious leaders were in support of the programme they would pursue the campaign till it is successful. 

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