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Bangladesh
Mine Ban Policy
Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty
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Mine Ban Treaty status |
State Party |
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National implementation measures |
Legislation reported in progress since 2002 |
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Transparency reporting |
15 May 2009 |
Policy
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 7 May 1998, ratified on 6 September 2000, and became a State Party on 1 March 2001.
At the Second Review Conference in November–December 2009, Bangladesh assured States Parties that it is committed to the implementation of the treaty “at national, regional and global levels,” and called upon all other countries to accede.[1]
Bangladesh also stated that it “is aware of its obligation in terms of enacting enabling legislation in support of the provisions of the Anti-personnel Mine Convention. Recently the government has initiated the process to draft legislation banning the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Anti-personnel Mines.”[2] Bangladesh has made similar statements each year since 2002.[3]
As of 9 June 2010, Bangladesh had not submitted its annual Article 7 report, due 30 April 2010.[4]
Bangladesh is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines,[5] but is not party to Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.
Production, transfer, use, stockpiling, and destruction
Bangladeshi officials have often stated that the country has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines and never used antipersonnel mines within the country or along its borders.[6]
Bangladesh completed destruction of 189,227 stockpiled antipersonnel mines in February 2005.[7]
Bangladesh has 2,499 Iranian M18A1 Claymore-type mines that it maintains can only be used in command-detonated mode, and therefore are not prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty.[8] Bangladesh has not described what specific measures it has taken to ensure that the mines can only be used in command-detonated mode, as has been urged by other States Parties.
Mines retained for research and training
Bangladesh has retained 12,500 antipersonnel mines for research and training under Article 3 of the treaty, which is the second highest number among State Parties. The number of antipersonnel mines retained since Bangladesh’s first Article 7 report in 2002 has remained essentially unchanged.[9] This indicates that mines are not being consumed during training or research activities. In its Article 7 reports, Bangladesh has not used the expanded Form D for reporting on retained mines that State Parties agreed to in 2005. The form is intended to ensure that States Parties are transparent about the precise intended purposes, actual uses, and future plans for use of retained mines.
In December 2009, Bangladesh said that the retained mines “are used only to impart training to Bangladesh Armed Forces personnel, specifically to assist engineering contingents to prepare for UN peacekeeping missions with de-mining mandate.”[10] In the past, Bangladesh Army officials have stated that they need a large number of retained mines because they believe that deminer training requires live rather than dummy mines and because engineering units and training facilities are spread all over the country.[11]
[1] Statement by Amb. Akramul Qader, State Minister, Embassy of Bangladesh to the United States, Second Review Conference, Cartagena, 3–4 December 2009.
[2] Ibid.
[3] For example, in its second Article 7 report, submitted in April 2003, Bangladesh reported that domestic legislation to implement the Mine Ban Treaty was in its “final stage of preparation.”
[4] It submitted previous reports on15 May 2009, 30 April 2008, 28 February 2007, 24 March 2006, 29 March 2005, 28 April 2004, 29 April 2003, and 28 August 2002.
[5] Bangladesh last submitted an annual transparency report under Article 13 in February 2006.
[6] It most recently said this in its statement at the Second Review Conference.
[7] For details on stockpile destruction, see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 156–157.
[8]Article 7 Report, Form B, 28 February 2007.
[9] Bangladesh initially listed 15,000 retained mines, including 2,500 M18A1 Iranian Claymore-type mines. In 2005, it changed the M18A1 number to 2,499 for unknown reasons. In its last three Article 7 reports, it did not include the 2,499 in the list of retained mines, explaining that the devices are not prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty.
[10] Statement by Amb. Akramul Qader, Embassy of Bangladesh to the US, Second Review Conference, Cartagena, 3–4 December 2009.
[11] See Landmine Monitor Report 2009, p.191; and Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 166.
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