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American ambassador discusses landmine education in Myanmar's Kayah state
Posted By : PNA
Post Date : 21 March 2013
In a first time visit to Loikaw, in Myanmar's
Kayah state, the United States Assistant Secretary for Conflict and
Stabilization Operations, Mr. Fredrick Barton, attended a press conference to
discuss solutions for conflict resolution and landmine education in the state.
According to a source from the News Information
Group (of the Karenni Progressive party),
the March 20th meeting commenced at 10 am and ended at noon, at
which time five armed groups agreed to cooperate with foreign help to work in
improving the country's landmine safety education. During the meeting Mr.
Barton met with government officials, representatives of armed ethnic groups,
members of civil society organizations and university students as well as
visited a landmine-victim assistance workshop.
Minefields
are scattered throughout the country, particularly in the townships of Chin,
Kayin, Mon, Kayah, Rakhine and Shan States as well as Bago and Tanintharyi
Regions; most landmines can be found in Kayin State and the east side of Bago
Division.
Currently,
assistance for clearing Myanmar's mines is provided by the US, European
countries (greatest contributors being Norway and Luxembourg), and the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines. A pledge of continued financial and
technical assistance was confirmed by the US assistant secretary during last
week's meeting. Mr. Barton expressed foreign support and alluded to the US
government's intentions to help reduce the threat posed by landmines and to
provide further education on the issue.
Mr. Barton
was accompanied by Ambassador Derek Mitchell on his visit to Kayah's state
capital. In Loikaw, the US representatives met with Kayah State Minister Khin
Maung Oo to discuss the peace process, the state’s development needs, and
assistance for landmine victims.
Myanmar is
one of the most heavily landmine-contaminated countries in the world, with the
fifth highest number of landmine casualties globally in 2012, according to the
Landmine Monitor report. Mine casualty rates in Myanmar are among the highest
in the world, surpassed only by Afghanistan and Colombia.
Recent fighting between government forces and
armed ethnic groups in eastern Myanmar has increased the risk of civilian
landmine injuries, experts warn. Communities in Kachin have recently
experienced renewed outbreaks of violence leading to the displacement of 75,000
people; landmine contamination further exacerbates the threats posed to the
Myanmar citizens lives and livelihoods. It has been reported that there are
landmines in 10 out of 14 states and divisions along the Burmese border,
primarily in Karenni, Karen, and Chin states, and more than 10 percent of all
townships in Myanmar are contaminated – as many armed groups are reluctant to
relinquish the use of mines.
There have been at least 3,000 landmine victims
in Myanmar since 1999, and an estimated 2,325 casualties between 1999 and 2008.
In the year 2008 alone, there were more than 720 deaths resulting from landmine
buse. Of the victims fifty percent are civilians, including children.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates the total number of
amputees in the country of Myanmar is 12,000, of which the majority are mine
victims.
The country still lacks programs for landmine
awareness, rehabilitation of landmine victims, and mine clearance in the
landmine-affected areas.
At the March 20th meeting in Loikow,
Mr. U Khin Maung Oo, minister of Kayah state as well as students from the
Loikow Univerity agreed to work with the armed groups KNPP, KNPLF, KNSO, KNLP,
KNPDP, KNDP, and KNPP to help with landmine education
A spokesperson for the Karenni National
Progressive Party (KNPP) commented that
“this is a difficult issue to solve, but requires necessary action in order for peace to be
established within the country.”
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