Published on - 2/26/2004
Pioneers in the field of De-mining, the Sri Lanka Engineers of the Sri Lanka Army, despite numerous setbacks and dearth of modern technical equipment and know-how, continue to engage themselves in the formidable task of humanitarian de-mining in war-affected Jaffna peninsula for the benefit of thousands of civilians in Puttur, Thanankilappu, Achchelu, Allarai and elsewhere in the east and Wanni areas.
More importantly, the Army Engineers, the first-ever group to undertake Sri Lanka\'s de-mining activities in Sri Lanka after formally commencing de-mining activities way back in March 2001 in order to co-operate with the government\'s ongoing scheme for Resettlement and Rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), has to their credit by 30th November last year cleared an area of 17,315,917 square meters, unearthing an estimated total of 88,866 Anti-Personnel Mines (APM), 284 Anti-Tank Mines and 4,596 Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), the biggest ever haul of mines and devices hitherto unearthed by a single organization in Sri Lanka.
These field Engineers, who have been thoroughly trained in mine warfare and mine clearance received a further fillip during this ongoing de-mining project, codenamed Battle Area Clearance (BAC) task when the US State department offered its assistance to the Army through US RONCO consulting cooperation which immensely boosted the morale of Army de-miners operating under the auspices of the Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army Lt. Gen. L. P Balagalle.This year\'s US assistance towards this worthy cause of the Army is to be supplemented with the introduction of Mine Detection Dogs (MDD) and modern mechanized equipment, enabling them to expedite the De-Mining process in these affected areas. In the year 2003, the US RONCO ensured to train 180 de-miners and 35 paramedics of the Army, many of who are already indulged in that nature of work not only in the north but also in the east and Wanni region. In the Jaffna peninsula alone, 100 de-miners and 20 paramedics of the Army are on the job while the rest remain scattered in Wanni and the East of Sri Lanka. Strictly in consistent with formally laid down priorities and guidelines of the District Steering for Mine Action, these troops of the Engineers are deployed in consultation with relevant authorities.
Believe it or not, forty six of the field Engineers of the Army who delicate in the best interests of the civilians have so far received injuries while at work, mainly due to non-availability of advanced technical know-how and modern equipment, compared to those accessories being used by the Non-Government Organization sector, for example, organizations such as Humanitarian De-mining Unit (HDU), HALO trust-UK, Mine Advisory Group-UK, Norwegian People's Aid, Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, Danish De-mining Group, Milinda Moragoda Institute for People\'s Empowerment, Sarvathra, Horizon, Japanese Centre for Conflict Prevention, etc engaged in the same arduous task. It is also worthwhile to mention here that the Sri Lanka Engineers were instrumental in de-mining work well ahead of the programmes initiated in very recent times.
The latest De-mining phase commenced on 3rd February 2004 with subsurface metal detectors/large loop metal detectors meets the international standards of clearance and helps locating UXO buried to a maximum depth of 50 cm. Once cleared most probably by the end of May this year, paddy fields in Thanankilappu, one of the heavily mine-infested areas could be cultivated benefiting over 250 farmers in the area.
The Army expects to clear at least 3,500,000 square meters under the BAC programme adhering to an average performance of about 15,000 square meters per day before the Manual De-mining task project gets underway. The UNDP sponsored Mine Risk education programme for civilians is going to be one of the priorities that is to be launched once this manual programme is commenced.
On the other hand, all other private-sector Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) engaged in de-mining activities in the northeast had collectively covered only 1,069,197 square meters against the Army\'s 17,315,917 square meters until up to 30th November 2003. Similarly, these NGOs recovered only 25,001 Anti Personnel Mines, 38 Anti Tank Mines and 12,038 UXO, thus confirming that it was still the Army that champions this de-mining activity in this island-nation.
