Sri Lanka

Last Updated: 25 November 2013

Mine Ban Policy

Mine ban policy overview

Mine Ban Treaty status

State not party

Pro-mine ban UNGA voting record

Voted in favor of Resolution 67/32 in December 2012, as in previous years

Participation in Mine Ban Treaty meetings

Attended interssesional meetings in May 2013

Policy

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty.[1]

Sri Lanka has not made any formal statements regarding the Mine Ban Treaty since 2009 when it said that it “fully subscribes to the humanitarian objectives of the treaty.”[2] However, in a July 2012 meeting with the diplomatic community in Colombo, the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, reportedly said that the Defence Ministry was ready for Sri Lanka to sign the treaty.[3] In September 2010, the Ministry of Economic Development published a plan that would “advocate for a ban of landmines and cluster munitions,” but as of 1 August 2012 it is not known to have done so.[4]

Sri Lanka did not attend the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in December 2012, but it did attend the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2013 in Geneva without making any statements. While it submitted a voluntary Article 7 report in 2005, Sri Lanka has not updated it to include information on its stockpile since then. It voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 67/32 on 3 December 2012 calling for universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it has for every annual pro-ban UNGA resolution since 1996. Sri Lanka also attended the Bangkok Symposium on Enhancing Cooperation & Assistance in June 2013 in Bangkok.

Sri Lanka is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines but has never submitted an annual Article 13 report. However, it attended the annual meeting on Amended Protocol II in November 2012.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Since the end of armed conflict in May 2009, the Monitor has not received any reports of new use of antipersonnel mines by any entity.

There is no evidence that the government of Sri Lanka has ever produced or exported antipersonnel mines. It has a stockpile, but its current size and composition are not known.

In April 2009, Brigadier Lasantha Wickramasuriya of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) acknowledged that the army had used antipersonnel mines in the past, but stressed that such use was only in the past. He said the army had used non-detectable Belgian, Chinese, and Italian mines, as well as bounding and fragmentation mines of Pakistani, Portuguese, and United States (US) manufacture.[5] The Monitor had previously reported that Sri Lanka acquired antipersonnel mines from China, Italy (or Singapore), Pakistan, Portugal, and perhaps Belgium, the US, and others.[6]

In October 2009, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said that “the use of mines by the Sri Lankan military is strictly limited and restricted to defensive purposes only…to demarcate and defend military installations” and are “marked accordingly…and relevant records systematically maintained.”[7]

Prior to the end of armed conflict, in particular in 2008 and 2009, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) laid large numbers of mines throughout the north.[8]

 

 



[1] In the past, the government has stated that Sri Lanka’s accession was dependent on progress in the peace process and on an agreement to ban landmines by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The civil war in Sri Lanka ended on 20 May 2009.

[2] Also in 2009, the Sri Lankan Army Commander stated, “In the current post-conflict phase in Sri Lanka, it is timely that we focus our attention on the international legal instruments that limit or ban certain weapons based on humanitarian grounds,” referring to the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). He said that after a review of its position, the government decided to submit an updated voluntary Article 7 report. Keynote address by Lt.-Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, International Law and Explosive Remnants of War Seminar, Colombo, 27 October 2009. The text of the keynote address was reproduced in: “Flow of arms to terrorists must stop,” The Sri Lanka Guardian, 28 October 2009, www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/10/flow-of-arms-to-terrorists-must-stop.html.

[3] Dinidu de Alwis, “Gotabhaya - diplomats in high profile meet,” Ceylon Today, 6 July 2012, www.ceylontoday.lk/27-7543-news-detail-gotabhaya-diplomat-in-high-profile-meet.html..

[4] Ministry of Economic Development, “National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka 2010,” September 2010, p. 25.

[5] Presentation on Humanitarian Demining by Brig. Lasantha Wickramasuriya, SLA, Bangkok Workshop on Achieving a Mine-Free South-East Asia, 2 April 2009. The presentation included a section titled “Types of Mines Used by the Sri Lankan Army” followed by photographs and titles: P4MK1 (Pakistan antipersonnel mine); M72 (China antipersonnel mine); VS-50 (Italy antipersonnel mine); M16A1 (US bounding antipersonnel mine, however the photograph shows what appears to be a P7 MK 1 Pakistan or PRBM966 Portugal bounding mine); PRB 415 (photograph shows what appears to be a NR 409 Belgian antipersonnel mine); PRB 413 (photograph shows what appears to be a Portugal M421 antipersonnel mine); M15 and ND MK 1 antivehicle mines; and M18A1 Claymore mines.

[6] In its voluntary Article 7 report submitted in 2005, Sri Lanka noted the presence of these antipersonnel mines in minefields: P4MK1, P4MK2, P4MK3, P5MK1, Type 69 (Pakistan); PRB 413 (Portugal/Pakistan); PRB 409, M696 (Portugal); Type 66, Type 72 (China); and VS-50 (Italy/Singapore). Voluntary Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Forms C and H, 13 June 2005. The Monitor previously identified the following antipersonnel mines as having been used by government troops in the past: P4 and P3 MK (manufactured by Pakistan); Type 72, Type 72A, and Type 69 (China); VS-50 (Italy or Singapore); NR409/PRB (Belgium); M409 and M696 (Portugal); and M18A1 Claymore (US). See ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1,118; and Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 881.

[7] “Flow of arms to terrorists must stop,” The Sri Lanka Guardian, 28 October 2009, www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/10/flow-of-arms-to-terrorists-must-stop.html.

[8] Prior to its demise, the LTTE was considered an expert in making explosive weapons. It was known to produce several types of antipersonnel mines: Jony 95 (a small wooden box mine), Rangan 99 or Jony 99 (a copy of the P4MK1 Pakistani mine), SN 96 (a Claymore-type mine), fragmentation antipersonnel mines from mortars, and variants of some of these antipersonnel mines, including some with antihandling features (including Rangan 99 antipersonnel mines with a motion sensor), as well as Amman 2000, MK1, and MK2 antivehicle mines. See ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2010..


Last Updated: 03 September 2013

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Sri Lanka has never made a public statement on its policy toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[1]

Sri Lanka participated in one meeting of the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Vienna in December 2007).

Sri Lanka has shown limited interest in the convention since 2008. It participated in a regional meeting on cluster munitions in November 2009 in Bali, Indonesia. Sri Lanka attended the convention’s Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011 and Third Meeting of States Parties in Oslo, Norway in September 2012 as an observer. Sri Lanka participated in the convention’s intersessional meetings in April 2013. It did not make any statements at these meetings

Sri Lanka is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

There were various unconfirmed media reports in 2008 and 2009 of Sri Lanka using cluster munitions against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the final phases of the war; Sri Lanka has strongly denied the claims.[2]

The Sri Lankan government’s Media Center for National Security issued the following statement on its website in February 2009: “The Government wishes to clarify that the Sri Lanka army do not use these cluster bombs nor do they have facilities to use them.”[3] The Ministry of Defence and Urban Development website posted a statement saying Sri Lanka never fired cluster munitions and never brought them into the country.[4] In February 2009, a military spokesperson was quoted stating, “We don’t have the facility to fire cluster munitions. We don’t have these weapons.”[5]

A March 2011 report by a UN panel of experts on Sri Lanka noted the government’s denial of use of the weapon and said that it was unable to reach a conclusion on the credibility of the allegation of use of cluster munitions by Sri Lanka.[6]

In April 2012, the Associated Press quoted a UNDP mine action advisor as reportedly stating in an internal document that deminers had encountered submunitions in the Puthukkudiyiruppu area of northeastern Sri Lanka.[7] This led to renewed allegations about government use of cluster munitions during the conflict and a strong denial by the government of Sri Lanka.[8] The UN has made no public comment to clarify the matter.

Sri Lanka has said in the past that not only does it deny using cluster munitions, but also that it does not even possess any cluster munitions.[9] However, Sri Lanka does possess both aircraft and rocket launchers capable of deploying cluster munitions.

 



[1] In 2010, the Ministry of Economic Development published a plan stating that it would “advocate for a ban of landmines and cluster munitions,” but it is not known to have done so. Ministry of Economic Development, “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” September 2010, www.slnmac.gov.lk/sites/default/files/National%20Strategy%20for%20Mine%20Action%20in%20Sri%20Lanka.pdf.

[2] See Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Muntions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 242–243. In October 2009, Sri Lankan Army Commander Lt.-Gen. J. Jayasuriya stated, “[w]here the cluster munitions are concerned, I wish to categorically state that such inhumane weapons have never, and will never be used by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.” Keynote address by Lt.-Gen. Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan Army, International Law on Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War Seminar, Colombo, 27 October 2009. The text of the address was included in “Flow of arms to terrorists must stop,” Daily News, 28 October 2009, www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/10/flow-of-arms-to-terrorists-must-stop.html.

[3] Media Center for National Security, “Government denies the attack on Pudukuduerippu hospital or using cluster bombs,” 4 February 2009, reliefweb.int/report/sri-lanka/sri-lanka-government-denies-attack-pudukuduerippu-hospital-or-using-cluster-bombs.

[4] Walter Jayawardhana, “UN Spokesman Accepts Sri Lanka Never Had Cluster Bombs,” Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, 5 February 2009, www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090205_01.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Report of the Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka, 31 March 2011, p. 47 (Section G, paras. 168–169).

[7] See Ravi Nessman, “UN Finds Cluster Bombs in Sri Lanka,” Associated Press (New Delhi), 26 April 2012, www.srilankaguardian.org/2012/04/un-finds-cluster-bombs-in-sri-lanka.html; and Ravi Nessman, “Witness: Man hit by cluster bomb in Sri Lanka war,” Associated Press (New Delhi), 27 April 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120427/as-sri-lanka-cluster-munitions/.

[8] The government’s Media Center for National Security said, “The rehashed allegation in international media that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces used cluster munitions during the Humanitarian Operations is baseless. It is a repetition of similar allegations that were made earlier on several occasions and is not based on any facts.” Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, “Ministry of Defence denies use of cluster munitions by security forces,” 28 April 2012, www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=MOD_efence_denies_use_of_cluster_munitions_by_security_forces_20120428_03.

[9] ICBL meeting with Amb. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona and Dilup Nanyakkara, Advisor, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, New York, 19 October 2010.


Last Updated: 12 December 2013

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

Sri Lanka is extensively contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), including abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO). Most of the contamination is in the north, the focus of three decades of armed conflict between the government and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), which ended in May 2009. However, Sri Lankan estimates of contamination have fallen sharply from 506km2 at the end of 2010 to 98.66km2 at the end of 2012 despite small increases in estimated contamination in eastern districts. By the end of June 2013, the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) reported contamination of 89km2. Operators report there remained a need for clearance of some residential areas in the north and significant amounts of agricultural land but see the impact of ERW increasingly as an obstacle to development rather than a threat to community security.[1]

Remaining confirmed hazardous area (km²)[2]

District

End-February 2012

End-December 2012

Jaffna

5.43

4.16

Kilinochchi

23.76

19.45

Mullaitivu

29.81

20.14

Vavuniya

12.05

7.22

Mannar

33.42

25.99

Trincomalee

3.42

3.41

Batticaloa

14.33

14.67

Ampara

0.02

0.07

Anuradhapura

2.32

3.35

Polonnaruwa

0.18

0.19

Total

124.74

98.65

Mines

Both sides in the conflict made extensive use of landmines, including belts of Pakistani-made P4 MK1 mines laid by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), and long defensive lines using a mixture of mines and booby-traps laid by the LTTE defending approaches to the northern town of Kilinochchi. The LTTE also left extensive nuisance mining in many northern districts, particularly in areas of intense fighting and often emplaced as its fighters retreated in the face of army offensives.[3]

Operators have encountered a wide range of LTTE devices, including antipersonnel mines with anti-tilt and anti-lift mechanisms, and often containing a larger explosive charge (up to 140g) than Pakistani-made P4 MK1 mines (30g). They also encountered tripwire-activated Claymore-type mines, and to a lesser extent antivehicle mines.[4]

Cluster munition remnants

The National Strategy says cluster munitions were not used in Sri Lanka at any time in the conflict.[5] A UN expert, however, concluded that unexploded submunitions were present in an area (Puthukudiyiruppu) where a boy was killed and a girl injured as they tampered with a device collected for sale as scrap metal. Media quoted an email from the UN technical advisor in Sri Lanka in which he affirmed that “after reviewing additional photographs from the investigation teams, I have determined that there are cluster submunitions in the area where the children were collecting scrap metal and in the house where the accident occurred. This was the first confirmed report of unexploded submunitions found in Sri Lanka.” A military spokesman denied the report.[6] A UN spokesman alleged the Sri Lankan military used cluster munitions in an attack on Puthukudiyiruppu Hospital in 2009 but the government rejected the report and the UN later retracted the statement.[7] The extent of any residual cluster munition contamination is not known.

Other explosive remnants of war

Extensive unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination resulted from the final years of the civil war in 2006−2009, particularly in the northern Vanni region, as a result of government use of air- and ground-delivered ordnance and LTTE artillery attacks. Operators also reported encountering mortars, grenades, air-delivered rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or booby-traps, including mortar shells rigged with trip-wires and sometimes linked to mines. Both the SLA and operators have also reported finding caches of mines and AXO.[8]

Mine Action Program

Key institutions and operators

Body

Situation on 1 January 20132

National Mine Action Authority

National Steering Committee for Mine Action (NSCMA)

Mine action center

NMAC

International demining operators

NGO: Danish Demining Group (DDG), Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), HALO Trust (HALO), Horizon, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Sarvatra

National demining operators

NGO: Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH), Milinda Moragoda Institute for People’s Empowerment (MMIPE)

Government: SLA Humanitarian Demining Unit

International risk education operators

UNICEF, Internews

National risk education operators

Ministry of Education, SLA/Humanitarian Demining Unit, Community Trust Fund, EHED-Caritas, Sarvodaya, Social Organizations Networking for Development

The Ministry of Economic Development (until mid-2010 the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development) under Minister Basil Rajapakse, also a special advisor to the President, is the lead agency for mine action as the chair of the NSCMA, providing policy oversight to the sector. The NSCMA is made up of government ministries and departments with a stake in mine action, notably agriculture, disaster relief, resettlement, education, social affairs, and foreign affairs, and is supposed to “manage linkages within the government, mine action community and donors.”[9]

The NSCMA is not a permanent body. Its policies and decisions are implemented by the NMAC, set up in 2010[10] with responsibility for liaising with government ministries and development partners to determine mine action priorities, preparing a strategic plan, and setting annual work plans to put it into effect. It is also responsible for accrediting mine action operators, setting national standards, and acting as the secretariat of the NSCMA.[11] Clearance operations in the field are coordinated, tasked, and quality managed by Regional Mine Action Offices (RMAO), working in consultation with District Steering Committees for Mine Action. These committees are chaired by the government agents who head district authorities.[12]

UNDP has supported Sri Lanka’s mine action by providing an international technical advisor to the NMAC who, in the past two years, worked mainly on preparation of mine action standards and the drafting of the mine action strategy. It also provided two international technical advisors to the two RMAOs in Jaffna and Vavuniya. The technical advisor advising NMAC in Colombo left in 2012 and has not been replaced.[13]

In 2012, the NMAC started working on a plan to transfer mine action to the Ministry of Defense by the end of 2013.[14] No further details emerged in 2012, but NMAC also reported in 2013 that it planned to revise Sri Lanka’s strategic plan partly to address an expected slow-down in donor support for mine action. As a result of this reduced funding, Indian demining organizations Horizon and Sarvatra stopped working in September 2012 and two international NGOs, DDG and FSD, ended their programs in Sri Lanka in 2013. NMAC expected the small national NGO DASH to expand in order to absorb some of the personnel from international organizations leaving Sri Lanka.[15]

Land Release

The pace of land release by the Sri Lankan Army’s Humanitarian Demining Unit (SLA-HDU) and eight humanitarian demining organizations slowed in 2012 reflecting changing operational requirements and the effect of funding constraints. The amount of mined land NMAC reported released through clearance in 2012 was down 13% to 15.58km2 while battle area cleared in 2012—amounting to 6.56km2—was barely one-fifth of the area cleared in the previous year.[16]

Three-quarters of all clearance was in the northeastern district of Mullaitivu with a further 20% concentrated in Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, and the key rice producing district of Mannar. Small amounts of clearance also continue in eastern Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.[17]

Five-year summary of clearance

Year

Mined area cleared (km2)

Battle area cleared (km2)

2012

15.58

6.56

2011

16.58

36.45

2010

13.22

255.90

2009

62.23

107.56

2008

4.33

164.54

Totals

111.94

571.01

Survey in 2012

The full extent of survey and areas canceled or reduced through survey is not known. FSD released a total of 1.22km2 through technical survey, most of it in the course of mechanical clearance.[18] HALO surveyed all the administrative districts in Kilinochchi’s Karachchi division as well as areas of Jaffna assigned to HALO after the withdrawal of DDG from the area in March 2012. HALO reported that it canceled 31 areas totalling 1.74km2 through non-technical survey (NTS) in 2012, destroying 18,348 antipersonnel mines in the process.[19] MAG cancelled three areas totalling 113,222m2 through NTS and released a further 3.5km2 through technical survey and area reduction.[20]

Mine and battle area clearance in 2012

The SLA-HDU, the biggest of the operators with over 1,000 personnel and a fleet of more than 30 flails, accounted for about two-thirds of all battle area clearance (BAC) and mined area clearance in 2012; however, while it cleared 60% more mined area than in the previous year, it released only 5.2km2 through BAC compared with close to 30km2 the previous year and the 202.3km2 it reported in 2011. At that time, with large numbers of people still displaced by the war, SLA-HDU’s BAC included large areas of quick visual verification to facilitate resettlement. Since then, the priority has shifted increasingly to more targeted mined area clearance. The SLA-HDU said the government would provide funding of some 250 million rupees (approximately US$1.9 million) in 2012.[21]

FSD reported lower levels of area clearance and technical survey in 2012 than the previous year and destruction of far fewer mines and UXO items, although explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams destroyed 2,052 items of UXO. Since 2010, FSD had also operated four teams undertaking clearance of wells. In 2012, these teams disposed of 13 antipersonnel mines and 96 items of UXO.

HALO remained the biggest of the international operators in 2012, working with more than 1,000 personnel in 95 manual sections, six mechanical teams, and four EOD/survey teams; however, it also reported a 12% reduction in area cleared. HALO identified one of the main major factors in the slowdown as degradation of the metal components in Rangan antipersonnel mines, the most widely found mine type in the areas of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. HALO stated that with the reduction in metal parts, probably due to water seepage, its Ebinger 421C detectors were no longer finding the mines and that it had switched to Minelab F3, which required time to train teams in the new equipment. However, the more sensitive Minelabs also picked up more metal scrap, slowing progress. In a bid to deal with that problem, HALO introduced HSTAMID dual sensor detectors at the end of 2012. In addition to the mines and ERW destroyed in the process of its area clearance operations, HALO’s survey/EOD teams disposed of 2,244 items of UXO and 24,315 items of AXO in the course of 1,145 roving tasks.[22]

MAG, working in Mullaitivu district’s Puthukkudiyuruppu division, cut its capacity by almost half to 130 personnel at the end of October 2012 after withdrawal of funding by AusAID. By the end of the year, MAG had cleared 762,013m2 of mined area and destroyed 2,026 antipersonnel mines and 30 antivehicle mines, mostly through mechanical ground preparation followed up by raking by manual teams. Its program looked set to nearly halve the number of staff to 77 staff in 2013 and reduce the number of mechanical assets from eight to five as a result of further funding cuts.

Mine and battle area clearance in 2012[23]

Operator

Mined area cleared (km2)

Battle area cleared

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

UXO

DASH

421,068

0

2,537

0

1,160

DDG

477,195

4,852

13,958

10

6,108

FSD[24]

1,896,230

1,051,794

17,435

0

1,306

HALO[25]

1,943,875

198,972

18,654

360

66,169

Horizon

205,441

54,380

459

0

54

MAG

800,439

0

1,995

45

1,210

MMIPE

18,645

0

1,040

0

9

Sarvatra

385,478

0

16,014

7

252

SLA-HDU

9,435,545

5,246,126

5,291

5

10,608

Totals

15,583,916

6,556,124

77,383

427

86,876

Quality management

Quality assurance (QA) inspection of demining sites is conducted by teams based in RMAOs. Operators have reported that task sites are visited regularly by these QA teams, which also conduct post-clearance checks before handover. The NMAC also re-accredited all operators in 2011–2012 for the first time since 2004.[26]

Safety of demining personnel

HALO reported three incidents in 2012, but all staff were able to return to work. A deminer was injured in April 2014 after detonating a P4 mine in a Jaffna minefield, suffering small cuts and burns to his arms and losing a tooth from the force of the impact of his visor. Another mine detonation in the same minefield in May caused no injuries. In June, the accidental detonation of a fragmentation grenade during clearance of a bund resulted in injuries to three personnel nearby, but two returned to work immediately; a team leader who suffered an abdominal wound required a prolonged recovery period before returning to work.[27]

 



[1] NMAC, “Mid-year Progress Report on Mine Action as at 30 June 2013,” Colombo; Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), “Final Programme Report of Swiss Foundation for Mine Action 2002−2013,” undated but 2013, pp. 3 and 19.

[2] NMAC, “Progress Report on Mine Action Programme,” Colombo, February 2012; and NMAC, “Annual Progress Report on Mine Action Programme Year 2012,” Colombo, February 2013.

[3] Interviews with demining operators, Colombo, 29 March–2 April 2010; and with Maj. Pradeep Gamage, Officer-in-Charge, North Jaffna Humanitarian Demining Unit (HDU), Jaffna, 3 April 2007.

[4] Interviews with demining operators, Colombo, 29 March–3 April 2010.

[5] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, p. 4.

[6] Cluster bombs found in Sri Lanka, UN expert says,” BBC World Service, 26 April 2012; “Sri Lanka military denies using cluster bombs as alleged in UN report,ColomboPage, 27 April 2012.

[7] Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice, Mines Action Canada, May 2009, p. 242.

[8] See, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, “War materials recovered,” 30 December 2010; interviews with Brig. Udaya Nannayakara, Chief Field Engineer, HDU, Colombo, 30 March 2010; and with demining operators, Colombo, 29 March–3 April 2010.

[9] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, p. 9.

[10] The cabinet formally approved the creation of the NMAC on 10 July 2010.

[11] Email from Amanthi Wickramasinghe, Programme Officer − Peace and Recovery, UNDP, Colombo, 11 March 2011.

[12] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, pp. 9−11; and interview with Allan Poston, Senior Technical Advisor, UNDP, Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011.

[13] Email from Amanthi Wickramasinghe, UNDP, 11 March 2011; and interview with Allan Poston, UNDP, in Phnom Penh, 1 December 2011.

[14] Email from Allan Poston, UNDP, 11 September 2012.

[15] Interview with Monty Ratanunga, Director Mine Action, NMAC, in Geneva, 11 April 2013.

[17] Ibid.

[18] FSD, “Final Programme Report of Swiss Foundation for Mine Action 2002−2013,” undated but 2013, pp. 14−15.

[19] Email response to Landmine Monitor questions from Valon Kumnova, Desk Officer, HALO Trust, 23 September 2013.

[20] Email response to Landmine Monitor questions by Jacqui Brownhill, Desk Officer, MAG, 29 October 2013.

[21] Interview with Brig. Dhananjith Karunaratne, Commander Engineer Brigade, SLA, in Geneva, 29 March 2012.

[22] Email response to Monitor questions from Valon Kumnova, HALO, 23 September 2013.

[24] FSD reported destroying 17,867 antipersonnel mines and 581 UXO items through land release operations in 2012 and also a further 677 antipersonnel mines, 1 antivehicle mine, and 2,052 UXO items through EOD operations. FSD, “Final Programme Report of Swiss Foundation for Mine Action 2002−2013,” undated but 2013, pp. 14−15.

[25] HALO reported clearing 1.78km2 of mined area and 0.49km2 of BAC, resulting in destruction of a total of 18,127 antipersonnel mines, 357 antivehicle mines, and 1,944 UXO items. In addition, HALO reported that its survey/EOD teams destroyed 18,348 antipersonnel mines and 17 antivehicle mines. Email response to Monitor questions from Valon Kumnova, HALO, 23 September 2013.

[26] Interview with Monty Ratanunga, NMAC, Geneva, 29 March 2012; and email from Adam Jasinski, HALO, Colombo, 14 April 2011.

[27] Email response to Monitor questions from Valon Kumnova, HALO, 23 September 2013.


Last Updated: 25 November 2013

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Casualties

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2012

21,993

Casualties in 2012

47 (2011: 24)

2012 casualties by outcome

5 killed; 42 injured (2011: 1 killed; 23 injured)

2012 casualties by device type

7 antipersonnel mines; 37 ERW; 3 unknown devices (2011: 4 antipersonnel mines; 20 ERW)

In 2012, 47 civilian mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties in 28 incidents were recorded in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, compared to 24 casualties in 17 incidents in 2011. Five people were killed and 42 injured in 2012, a significant increase compared to one killed and 23 injured the previous year. Seven of the casualties in 2012 and four in 2011 were caused by mines, with three caused by unknown devices and the remainder by ERW.[1]

In April 2010 it was reported that, since the 1980s, there were a total of 21,993 mine casualties, including 1,419 civilian returnees; 3,770 recorded amputees among the armed forces, police, and civil defense forces; and 16,804 mine casualties among the non-state armed group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[2] The Monitor identified 1,429 casualties in Sri Lanka from 1999 to the end of 2012 (139 killed; 556 injured; 734 unknown).[3]

Victim assistance since 1999

There has been an overall increase is availability and accessibility of healthcare and social services in Sri Lanka for mine/ERW survivors and persons with disabilities in general, particularly with regards to government-provided services.[4] In the north and east of Sri Lanka, a number of primary care hospitals have been opened while roads have been re-built and maintained, increasing availability and accessibility of services since 2010.[5] In 2012, UNDP support for victim-assistance service providers ended following the conclusion of the socio-economic support UNDP provided to the north and east through its Transition Recovery Program the previous year. Since 2010, the government provision of victim assistance services has increased.[6]

Hundreds of thousands of displaced persons were resettled after the end of the conflict in late 2009, including persons with disabilities and injuries, creating a need for services in new areas. The public health system provided medical treatment to mine/ERW survivors, while post-operative care, including psychosocial support, counseling, and mobility aids were provided on an increasing scale by the government and national NGOs supported by international organizations.[7] Access and availability of physical rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in Sri Lanka, including mine/ERW survivors, continued to increase through initiatives by the government, international organizations, and NGOs.[8] However, access remained difficult for some, with a significant waiting list for physical therapy services in Batticaloa due to a lack of qualified staff in the country.[9] There was a critical need for a comprehensive referral system, more specialized aftercare services, and initiatives to support and monitor the rehabilitation of survivors.[10]

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors in Sri Lanka, both civilian and military, was estimated to be in the thousands.[11] The National Mine Action Centre (NMAC) reported 1,460 registered civilian mine survivors injured in Sri Lanka between 1985 and the end of 2010.[12]

Assessing victim assistance needs

In 2012, there was no comprehensive data on the number or the needs of mine/ERW survivors, victims of war, or other persons with disabilities.[13] Details of mine/ERW incidents were recorded in the national Information Management System for Mine Action database. By the end of 2012, the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare (MoSS) maintained a database of persons with disabilities for the north and east of the country; however, a national database was still lacking.[14] Starting in 2009, mine action actors began planning to establish a fully functional data collection mechanism on persons with disabilities, including mine survivors, and on available services.[15] It was proposed that by December 2011, data could be managed by adapting the Cambodia Mine Victim Information System (CMVIS) to Sri Lanka’s needs.[16] Throughout 2010, discussions with the MoSS were ongoing and by June 2011 a UNICEF consultant had visited Sri Lanka regarding the establishment of a Victim Assistance Surveillance System.[17]

NGOs providing risk education (RE) collected data on mine/ERW survivors through house-to-house visits and provided information to the NMAC. RE providers also maintained separate records on persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors and war victims, while identifying the needs of survivors and referring them to available services.[18] Government Social Service Officers also collected data on people with disabilities during field visits.[19] Victim assistance providers including Handicap International (HI), Motivation, and Caritas Valvuthyam maintained their own databases on services provided to mine/ERW survivors. The Department of Social Services also maintained records on their beneficiaries at district-level. Data was shared with service providers during monthly district-level disability coordination meetings. Mapping of disability service providers in Vavuniya and Mannars district was done in 2010 and updated during 2011 and 2012.[20]

Victim assistance coordination[21]

Government coordinating body/focal point

None; the MoSS is responsible for coordinating the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

Coordinating mechanism

UNICEF acted as the coordination point for victim assistance activities; TWG meetings included government ministries and NGOs

Plan

None; victim assistance is included in the National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition’s Division of Rehabilitation for Youth, Elderly, Disabled and Displaced and the MoSS are the lead government agencies for disability. The former is responsible for medical concerns and the latter for social.[22] Other ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Defense, also address important issues relevant to persons with injuries and disabilities.[23] The National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) under the MoSS met once a month in 2012. The NCPD discussed matters related to persons with disabilities and the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) implemented decisions from the NCPD meetings.[24] The NSPD developed a national action plan for the period 2011–2015 to implement national policies concerning persons with disabilities.[25]

Victim assistance was discussed with relevant stakeholders, including UNICEF and the MoSS, during Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings. The meetings were used to analyze needs, plan activities, and find agreement on common approaches. The NMAC conducted a national TWG meeting for all mine action stakeholders in July 2012.[26] Victim assistance was included in discussion at the monthly district-level disability coordination meetings held in both Vavuniya and Jaffna districts. In some districts, coordination required improvement; however, district-level disability coordination was effective in many.[27]

The 2011 National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka includes victim assistance objectives.[28]

Survivor inclusion

Disabled persons’ organizations are included in the various coordination mechanisms. Survivor representatives and persons with disabilities also participated in TWG meetings and played key roles in drafting the victim assistance strategy.[29]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[30]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

MoSS

Government

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) including self-help groups, medical care, assistive devices, income-generation projects, and assistance with housing, self-employment

Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Centre

Government

Provided physical rehabilitation, social support, economic inclusion, and other assistance to disabled veterans

Jaffna Jaipur Center for Disability Rehabilitation

National NGO

The only center providing physical rehabilitation on the Jaffna peninsula; produced prostheses for amputees, wheelchairs, and other mobility devices, and provided micro-credit for persons with disabilities and financial support for students with disabilities; operated an outreach program for those unable to travel to the center

Sarvodaya

National NGO

Psychological assistance

Social Organizations Networking for Development

National NGO

Provided mobility devices, psychosocial support, referrals, support for medical assistance, economic inclusion

Valvuthayam Caritas

National NGO

Providing prosthetics and mobility devices through Mannar Rehabilitation Center

Leonard Cheshire Disability Resource Centre

National NGO branch of international NGO

Providing economic inclusion opportunities including skill development, self employment, and social protection; promoting inclusive education and medical interventions in Trincomalee

Meththa Foundation

National NGO branch of international NGO

Providing prosthetic and mobility devices

Motivation

International NGO

Supporting provision of prosthetics and wheelchairs to mine/ERW survivors in Vavuniya, Jaffna, and Mannar

 

HI

International NGO

Supported physical rehabilitation; rehabilitation treatment, assistive devices, referral and training support for medical staff

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-Holland

International NGO

Medical and rehabilitation services including orthopedic surgery, physiotherapy, psychosocial support to patients with spinal cord injuries in cooperation with the Ministry of Health

UNICEF

UN

Support to MoSS and NGO rehabilitation services; provided financial support to implementing NGOs and referrals through a victim assistance network

ICRC

International organization

Support to the Jaffna Jaipur Center for Disability Rehabilitation with materials; trained and reimbursed some patients for the cost of treatment

The Ministry of Health Care and Nutrition continued to implement the national long-term plan for physical rehabilitation that aims to support the development of services in 40 district hospitals. Such activities have significantly increased access and availability of physical rehabilitation services throughout the country, particularly in the north.[31] Nine district hospitals including Vavuniya and Anuradhapura were classified as high priorities and, with the support of international organizations the plan was implemented in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, and Vavuniya.[32] While UNICEF support for victim assistance overall reduced in 2012 due to lack of funding, support continued for Caritas Valvuthayam to provide physical rehabilitation services.[33] The MoSS provided some support to persons with disabilities, including covering the cost of prosthetics and orthoticsservices.

The ICRC continued technical and material support to the Jaffna Jaipur Center for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR), the only center providing physical rehabilitation on the Jaffna peninsula. In 2012, 1,228 patients received services through JJCDR with ICRC support, including 102 mine/ERW survivors. The ICRC continued to gradually reduce financial support to JJCDR, with a cut of 15% in the amount reimbursed per appliance by the ICRC in 2010, 30% for 2011, and 50% for 2012, and support will amount to 25% for 2013. Concurrently, ICRC provided support to JJCDR to diversify their funding base that resulted in funding agreements reached between JJDRC and two other donor organizations.[34]

The opening of additional physical rehabilitation centers in Vavuniya and Mannar, the introduction of regular mobile services for Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, and the opening of a center in Trincomalee significantly increased access and availability of physical rehabilitation services in the north since 2010.[35] Graduates from the Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SLSPO) contributed to the capacity at the new center opened by the Ministry of Health in Vavuniya Hospital in 2010 and another opened at Trincomalee Hospital in 2011. SLSPO also provided technical support and staff training.[36]

Since 2010, HI expanded its physical rehabilitation services in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts in the north and in Batticaloa district in the east to address the needs resulting from the resettlement process. Due to the size of the area, HI introduced a mobile rehabilitation unit to provide physical rehabilitation services in remote areas. Since 2010, HI increased the number of beneficiaries receiving physical rehabilitation services in Batticaloa in the east by over a quarter due to a higher number of persons with disabilities and injuries resettling in the area and due to beneficiaries being able to travel without restrictions. Some 2,800 patients received services in Batticaloa in 2012 supported by HI, the highest number since the end of the conflict. HI began the handover of the prosthetics and orthotics clinic at the Teaching Hospital in Batticaloa to the Ministry of Health in 2012, drafting a memorandum of understanding and providing capacity-building for management staff. The handover process for the physical rehabilitation services provided in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu to the MoH was almost completed in 2012.[37]

Psychological assistance and social support increased in Sri Lanka through the MoSS program; however, services remain limited and did not meet the needs of survivors.[38] The National Counseling Centre under the MoSS expanded operations after the conflict ended, providing counseling services and psychosocial support workers deployed primarily in areas with high numbers of internally displaced persons and re-settled communities.[39] The MoSS National Program on Community Based Rehabilitation for Persons with Disabilities expanded to provide a range of services including home-based rehabilitation, peer support groups, and provision of equipment to increase accessibility. By the end of 2012, it was operational in 25 districts with some 9,300 trained volunteers and peer support groups for persons with disabilities established in 18 districts.[40] UNICEF support for the MoSS CBR program was discontinued in 2012 due to lack of funds.[41]

The Department of Social Services and some RE operators provided some livelihood development programs targeting persons with disabilities including conflict victims, through income-generation activities and housing support.[42] The ICRC with the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society expanded micro-economic initiatives project in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts, enabling more returnee households to improve their income-generating capacities.[43] However, these services were insufficient to meet demand.[44]

The 1996 Act on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was amended in 2012 to incorporate the provisions of the Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD). At the end of 2012 the draft law was submitted and was awaiting approval by the Attorney General.[45] However, discrimination continued to occur in employment, education, and the provision of state services.[46]

In April 2011, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka directed that provisions for access by persons with disabilities should be enforced when constructing public buildings and that those not applying the ruling should be penalized.[47] Another important development with regard to accessibility was a Public Interest Litigation Fundamental Rights Application, filed by accessibility activist Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera for physical accessibility of private buildings for persons with disabilities. In June 2013, the Supreme Court directed the Attorney-General to follow-up with the Ministry of Social Services concerning the establishment of accessibility facilities at public buildings, which it found should also cover private sector buildings.[48]

The MoSS conducted workshops with diverse government representatives in Vavuniya and Jaffna in 2012 on the need for accessible public and government buildings. An inter-ministerial committee on accessibility was established to provide advice on such issues.[49] However, few buildings met regulation standards at the end of 2012.[50]

People with disabilities were reported to have been negatively affected by government restrictions on implementing aid projects in the north; a lack of inclusion of people with disabilities in the development initiatives was also reported.[51]

Sri Lanka signed the CRPD in March 2007.

 



[1] Casualty data provided by email by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 26 July 2013.

[2] Statement by Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, Chief Field Engineer, Sri Lanka Army, in “On landmines and explosive remnants of war: raising awareness and taking Action,” Asian Tribune (Colombo), 30 April 2010, www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/04/30/landmines-and-explosive-remnants-war-raising-awareness-and-taking-action. Although not stated, presumably all these casualties were included in the 30-year total.

[3] See previous Monitor reports on Sri Lanka, www.the-monitor.org.

[4] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013; Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013; and UNDP, “UNDP Support to Mine Action Project (Sri Lanka), Peacebuilding Fund Final Programme Narrative Report,” 20 April 2012, p. 6.

[5] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, Program Manager, Handicap International (HI) Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[6] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, pp. 5–6; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, p. 273.

[7] Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013.

[8] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, p. 273.

[9] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[10] Government of Sri Lanka, UN Nations & Partners “Joint Plan for Assistance Northern Province 2011,” pp. 62–63, docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CAP/2011_SriLanka_JPfANP_SCREEN.pdf.

[11] Based on casualty figures in statement by Brig. Nanayakkara, in “On landmines and explosive remnants of war: raising awareness and taking Action,” Asian Tribune (Colombo), 30 April 2010, www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/04/30/landmines-and-explosive-remnants-war-raising-awareness-and-taking-action.

[12] Government of Sri Lanka, UN & Partners “Joint Plan for Assistance Northern Province 2011,” p. 62, docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CAP/2011_SriLanka_JPfANP_SCREEN.pdf.

[13] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013; and by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[14] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[15] UNICEF, “Mine Risk Education, Victim Assistance and Advocacy in Sri Lanka through UNICEF: Interim Progress Report,” 9 October 2009, pp. 33, 36.

[16] Government of Sri Lanka, UN & Partners “Joint Plan for Assistance Northern Province 2011,” p. 63, docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CAP/2011_SriLanka_JPfANP_SCREEN.pdf.

[17] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 10 May 2011; and UNICEF, “Country Peacebuilding Fund Project Status Report,” 30 June 2011, mdtf.undp.org/document/download/7033.

[18] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013; and by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Ibid.; ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013; and “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, pp. 5–6.

[22] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, pp. 5–6.

[23] NMAC, “Victim Assistance,” slnmac.gov.lk/service-providers, accessed 24 June 2013.

[24] Ministry of Social Services, “Progress Report on National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights 2011–2016 as at 31.12.2012,” updated but 2013, www.socialwelfare.gov.lk/web/images/stories/pdf/progress/nhrap.pdf.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[27] Ibid.

[28] “The National Strategy for Mine Action in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of Economic Development, September 2010, pp. 5–6, 23–44.

[29] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[30] Email from L.S. Dushyandan, Country Manager, Motivation Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013; Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013; UNICEF and UNDP, “Project Document: Support to Mine Action Project,” 18 January 2010, p. 10; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, pp. 273–274. There were approximately 20 rehabilitation centers in Sri Lanka managed by the government, by local NGOs, or by private entities; only those reporting services to mine/ERW survivors are listed here.

[31] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP), “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, p. 274.

[32] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2011,” Geneva, May 2012; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[33] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[34] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, pp. 273–274.

[35] ICRC PRP, “Annual report 2010,” Geneva, June 2011, p. 55; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[36] Cambodia Trust, “SLSPO Celebrates Graduation 2011,” 8 July 2011; and Cambodia Trust, “SLSPO Supports New Rehab Centre In Trincomalee Sri Lanka,” 9 May 2011.

[37] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[38] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013; and Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013.

[39] Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013.

[40] Ibid., p. 25.

[41] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Mihlar Mohamed, UNICEF, Colombo, 11 July 2013.

[42] Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013.

[43] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, June 2013, p. 271.

[44] Government of Sri Lanka, UN & Partners “Joint Plan for Assistance Northern Province 2011,” p. 63, docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/CAP/2011_SriLanka_JPfANP_SCREEN.pdf.

[45] Ministry of Social Services, “Progress Report on National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights 2011–2016 as at 31.12.2012,” updated but 2013, www.socialwelfare.gov.lk/web/images/stories/pdf/progress/nhrap.pdf.

[46] United States (US) Department of State, “2012 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka,” Washington DC, 19 April 2013, www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204411 - wrapper.

[47] “Builders must consider disabled persons,” Daily News, 29 April 2011, archives.dailynews.lk/2011/04/29/news20.asp.

[48] “Private institutions must also have accessibility for disabled,” Daily Mirror, 19 June 2013, www.dailymirror.lk/news/31128-private-institutions-must-also-have-accessibility-for-disabled.html; and “A victory for accessibility,” Celon Today, 25 June 2013, www.ceylontoday.lk/51-35898-news-detail-a-victory-for-accessibility.html. (Public Interest Litigation Fundamental Rights Application SCFR 221/2009.)

[49] Ministry of Social Services, “Performance Report 2012,” Battaramulla, undated but 2013, p. 20.

[50] US Department of State, “2012 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013, www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204411 - wrapper; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Yuban Malla, HI Sri Lanka, 15 July 2013.

[51] US Department of State, “2012 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka,” Washington, DC, 19 April 2013, www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204411 - wrapper.


Last Updated: 18 December 2013

Support for Mine Action

In 2012, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka received 50% less funding from the same number of donors than in 2011.[1] Sri Lankan estimates of contamination fell sharply from 506km2 at the end of 2010 to 255km2 in July 2011 and to almost 125km2 in February 2012.[2] In June 2013, Sri Lanka reported it had almost 90km2 remaining to clear.[3]

Sri Lanka has never reported its financial contribution to its mine action program. However, in a speech on the 2012 budget President Mahinda Rajapaksa indicated that it was substantial, stating that since 2009 the army has been engaged in demining, rebuilding, and urban development at a cost of LKR5.4 billion (approximately US$42 million).[4]

Two states provided funding for victim assistance: the United States (US) contributed $500,000 while Germany contributed €112,571 ($144,755) in 2012.

India has contributed to mine action in Sri Lanka since 2003. The Indian NGO Sarvatra conducts clearance activities in Sri Lanka with an unspecified amount of support from the government of India.[5]

International contributions: 2012[6]

Donor

Sector

Amount (national currency)

Amount

($)

US

Clearance, victim assistance

$5,3000,000

5,300,000

Japan

Clearance

¥127,558,347

1,598,075

Norway

Clearance

NOK8,630,000

1,483,302

United Kingdom

Clearance

£905,616

1,435,673

Australia

Clearance

A$840,000

870,156

Switzerland

Clearance

CHF580,000

618,535

European Union

Clearance

€420,000

540,078

Canada

Clearance

C$500,000

500,250

Germany

Victim assistance

€112,571

144,755

Total

 

 

12,490,824

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[7]

Year

Amount

($)

2012

12,490,824

2011

24,621,635

2010

26,313,012

2009

24,806,090

2008

8,173,696

Total

96,405,257

 

 



[1] ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Sri Lanka: Support for Mine Action,” 19 September 2012; Japan, Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), Amended Protocol II, 28 March 2013; Canada, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Ingunn Vatne, Senior Advisor, Department for Human Rights, Democracy and Humanitarian Assistance, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 April 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Richard Bolden, Policy Analyst Mine Action, Arms Exports and ATT, Department for International Development (DfID), 7 May 2013; US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety 2013,” Washington DC, August 2013, p. 26; email from Rob Horvath, Manager, Leahy War Victims Fund, USAID, 2 August 2013; Germany, CCW, Amended Protocol II, Form B, 22 March 2013; Australia, CCW, Amended Protocol II, Form B, 28 March 2013.

[2] Ministry of Economic Development, “National Mine Action Programme: Achievements,” Colombo, undated but 2012; UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update,” July 2011; and email from Allan Poston, Senior Technical Advisor, UNDP, 9 August 2011.

[3] National Mine Action Program: Mine Clearance, accessed 9 September 2013.

[4] Ministry of Economic Development, “2012 Budget 100 Proposals for Development His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa presented the 2012 budget proposals to the parliament,” accessed 24 Sept. 2013. Average exchange rate for 2012: LKR127.231=US$1, Oanda, www.oanda.com.

[5] Sarvatra, “ARJUN Demining,” undated.

[6] Average exchange rate for 2012: C$0.9995= US$1. €1=US$1.2859. ¥79.82=US$1. A$1=US$1.0359. £1=US$1.5853. NOK5.8181=US$1. CHF0.9377=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2013.

[7] ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Sri Lanka: Support for Mine Action,” 19 September 2012.