JCCP hands over second mine-free land to Vavuniya GA

The Japanese Government provided a US $ 907,919 (Rs. 88.5 million) to the Japan Centre for Conflict Prevention (JCCP) through the Japan NGO grant scheme for humanitarian de-mining activities in the Vavuniya district. Under this project JCCP successfully cleared 31,699 square meters of minefield in Vavuniya and handed over the mine-free land to the Government Agent, Vavuniya on July 12, states a Japanese Embassy press release.

The JCCP is a Japanese NGO whose mission is to contribute to the prevention, containment and resolution of conflict with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. This is JCCP's second fully accomplished mission since it commenced humanitarian de-mining activities in Sri Lanka in March 2004, where to date JCCP has worked on five different minefields in Vavuniya District, and have cleared a total of 96,125 square meters of land, recovered 79 anti-personnel mines and 10 UXOs. Danish De-mining Group (DDG) provided technical support to this project.

The Japanese Government has so far provided a total of US $ 1.4 million towards JCCP's de-mining activities in Vavuniya, as part of its support towards the de-mining programme of the Sri Lanka Government. In addition to the assistance to JCCP, the Japanese Government has also provided US$ 7 million to six other de-mining agencies for mine clearance work in the conflict areas.

De-mining activities are expected to promote rehabilitation and development in Sri Lanka through securing safe land for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and to restore peace and stability by revitalizing economic and social activities in the conflict affected areas of Sri Lanka.

Apart from its de-mining operations, JCCP is also involved in integrated relief and rehabilitation projects for the tsunami victims in Trincomalee and Ampara districts.

The ceremony to hand over the mine-free land took place at the Mugathankulam Farm II, Cheddikulam division in Vavuniya district yesterday where President of JCCP, Ichiji Ishii handed over the cleared land to Government Agent of Vavuniya S. Shanmugam, First Secretary of Embassy of Japan Yuji Miyahara, Representative of JCCP Sugaya, Operations Manager DDG, Samuel Paunila and other officials in the district were present at the ceremony.