Key developments since May 2002: As of May
2003, Chile had destroyed 201,446 stockpiled antipersonnel mines and was on
track for completion by August 2003. Chile revised downward the number of
antipersonnel mines it will retain for training and development to 6,245 mines.
Chile submitted its initial Article 7 Report on 5 September 2002 and an updated
report on 30 April 2003. The Article 7 Report contains previously unreported
information on a mined area in Region V, the densely populated central region of
the country. Chile’s National Demining Commission was officially
constituted on 19 August 2002 and completed its National Demining Plan on 10
January 2003. Demining is expected to commence in 2004.
Mine Ban Policy
Chile signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997, ratified on 10 September 2001, and the treaty entered into force on 1
March 2002.
Chile has not yet enacted national implementation legislation, but a
promulgation of the Mine Ban Treaty was signed on 4 January 2002 and published
in the Official Gazette on 9 March 2002. This decree makes the Mine Ban Treaty
binding domestically, but does not include penal sanctions or other measures
specifically aimed at implementing the provisions of the
treaty.[1] As of June 2003,
Ministry of Defense lawyers were studying national implementation
legislation.[2]
Chile submitted its initial Article 7 Report on 5 September 2002, covering
the period from 9 March 2002 to 5 September 2002. Chile submitted its annual
updated Article 7 Report on 30 April 2003, for the period from 6 September 2002
to 30 April 2003.[3]
According to its initial Article 7 Report, Chile has not produced or exported
antipersonnel mines since 1985.[4]
In the past Chile produced at least six different types of antipersonnel
mines.[5]
Chile hosted the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network on
2-3 July 2002. In an address to the meeting, Chile’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Soledad Alvear described stockpile destruction as one of the
group’s “biggest
challenges.”[6] The
Director of Special Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luis Winter,
spoke about the creation of the National Demining Commission (CNAD), stockpile
destruction, and the country’s demining plans.
Chile attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002, where
a Ministry of Defense representative stated that the country would reduce the
number of mines it had reported it planned to retain for
training.[7] On 22 November 2002,
Chile voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/74, promoting
universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Chile participated
in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and May 2003.
From 18-23 November 2002, Chile hosted the Fifth Conference of Defense
Ministers of the Americas. The “Santiago Declaration” issued by the
Conference expresses “support for the efforts of the UN, OAS, and the
various national demining programs to eliminate...antipersonnel
landmines.” The declaration expressed “satisfaction” with the
progress achieved by members of the Mine Ban Treaty, but recommended that states
“ratify and comply” with the Convention on Conventional
Weapons.[8] The language
represents an apparent compromise with the United States, one of the two
non-signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty from the region.
The ICBL’s Landmine Monitor research coordinator for the Americas and
the coordinator of the Chilean Campaign to Ban Landmines (coordinated by the NGO
Instituto de Ecología Política, IEP) accepted an invitation to
participate in the Conference as observers and provided an information sheet
that was included in the background materials of participants. This is believed
to be the first time civil society representatives have participated as official
observers in an annual regional meeting of defense ministers.
During the same week as the Fifth Conference of Defense Ministers,
representatives from the Chilean, Brazilian and Colombian campaigns, the ICBL,
Landmine Monitor, and youth activists from the region met in Santiago for a
series of activities and events. On 20 November 2002, IEP and the Institute for
Strategic and International Security Studies (IDEESI) held a seminar on
humanitarian demining and development in the region at the Universidad de la
República; it was attended by mayors of mine-affected municipalities in
Chile, academics, and members of the public and
media.[9] At the seminar,
Landmine Monitor Chile researchers launched their first independent national
report on landmines.[10] During
the week the ICBL held a workshop on landmines for youth activists from Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Perú and
Uruguay.[11]
Chile is not a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) or
its Amended Protocol II, but it participated in the Fourth Annual Conference of
States Parties to Amended Protocol II in December 2002 as an observer.
Stockpiling and Destruction
Prior to undertaking any destruction of its
antipersonnel mines, it appears that Chile had a stockpile numbering 305,464.
Chilean diplomats had previously reported to Landmine Monitor that stockpiles
were estimated at 22,000 and 25,000 antipersonnel
mines.[12]
In November 2000, Chile destroyed 2,000 antipersonnel mines and in September
2001 it destroyed 14,000.[13] On
27 August 2002, the Army’s entire stockpile for Region I, totaling 76,388
antipersonnel mines was
destroyed.[14] The stockpile
destruction event was attended by President Ricardo Lagos and Minister of
Defense Michelle Bachelet, at the Pampa Chaca military training grounds. During
the lead-up to the event, the Ministry of Defense for the first time released
official numbers of stockpiled mines and mines emplaced in the
ground.[15]
No further destruction took place from September 2002 through April 2003.
Chile reported a stockpile of 213,076 antipersonnel mines as of 30 April
2003.[16]
Stockpiles of Antipersonnel Mines in Chile (as of 30 April
2003)[17]
Model (Manufacturer)
Quantity
M-14 (US)
106,564
M-16 A-1 (US)
1
M-35 (Belgium)
8,239
M.A.P.P. 78-F2/FAMAE (Chile)
41,015
M.A.P.T. 78-F2/FAMAE (Chile)
9,869
MOD. I / CARDOEN (Chile)
22,160
MOD. II / CARDOEN (Chile)
12,071
MOD. IEC-II/CARDOEN (Chile)
12,195
M-16 (US)
4
M-2 A4 (US)
41
M-178/CARDOEN (Chile)
917
Total
213,076
In May 2003, the entire stockpile in Patagonia (Regions XI and XII) of
109,058 antipersonnel mines was destroyed in two separate events. On 8 May
2003, the Army destroyed 36,458 antipersonnel mines (M-14, 78-F2, MOD. I and
IEC-II mines) at the Las Bandurrias military training grounds in Coyhaique,
Region XI.[18] The Army and Navy
jointly destroyed 72,600 antipersonnel mines at the Entre Vientos military
training grounds in Punta Arenas, Region XII, over a ten-day period, ending with
a ceremony on 9 May 2003 attended by diplomats, representatives of the OAS, and
the Landmine Monitor
researcher.[19]
Thus, as of 10 May 2003, Chile had destroyed 201,446 stockpiled antipersonnel
mines. Five more stockpile destruction events are planned for August 2003 to
destroy the final 97,733 antipersonnel mines, two years ahead of the
treaty-mandated deadline of 1 March
2006.[20]
Chile has revised downward the number of antipersonnel mines it will retain
for training and development from an initial total of 28,647 mines to a current
total of 6,245 mines.[21] The
Chilean Army and Navy will retain these mines, but Chile has not detailed how it
intends to use them.
Mines Retained for Training by Chile (as of April
2003)[22]
Model, (Manufacturer)
Quantity
M-14
2,023
M-16 A-1
1
M-35
835
M.A.P.P. 78-F2/FAMAE
1,643
M.A.P.T. 78-F2/FAMAE
200
MOD. I/CARDOEN
561
MOD. II/CARDOEN
437
MOD. IEC-II/CARDOEN
400
M-16
4
M-2 A4
41
M-178/CARDOEN
100
Total
6,245
Landmine Problem
In its April 2003 Article 7 report, Chile reported
a total of 123,443 antipersonnel mines laid in 37 sectors in Regions I and II
(in the north of the country), V (center), and XII
(south).[23] In its September
2002 Article 7 report, Chile had reported a total of 122,661 antipersonnel mines
emplaced in 38 different sites around the country. Thus, the April 2003 Article
7 report had an additional 782 emplaced antipersonnel mines and one less
mine-affected sector than data submitted in the initial Article 7
report.[24]
According to the 2002 report, in Region I (Tarapacá), 90,963 mines
were reported emplaced in three sectors; in Region II (Antofagasta), 23,867
mines were reported in 23 sectors; in Region V (Valparaiso), 123 mines were
reported in one sector; and in Region XII (Magallanes), 8,490 mines were
reported in ten sectors, including seven sectors on five
islands.[25]
The April 2003 Article 7 Report does not specify how many individual
minefields there are in each mine-affected sector, nor how much land area they
occupy. The Army had previously reported 293 minefields, located in Regions I
and II in the north of the country, and in Region XII in the south of the
country, potentially affecting 17 municipalities, including three major urban
centers in the north: Arica, Calama and
Antofagasta.[26] The mines in
Regions I, II, and V were laid between 1973 and 1980; the mines in Region XII
were laid in 1981 and 1983.[27]
While no systematic or comprehensive assessment or survey has taken place to
determine the extent of Chile’s mine problem or the impact on civilians
living in mine-affected areas, Landmine Monitor has conducted field research
which to a limited extent gives an indication of the
impact.[28]
Regions I and II
Landmine Monitor has visited a number of mine-affected areas in northern
Chile.[29] These mined areas
continue to have an effect on the local economy. On several occasions llamas,
guanacos and other livestock grazing along the border have stepped on landmines
and been killed. This is especially the case in Tacora, located in the
municipality of General Lagos very close to the three-way border between Chile,
Perú and Bolivia. Fencing around minefields in this area was found to be
insufficient, allowing animals easy
access.[30]
Just north of Arica, on the Chile-Perú border next to the Pacific
Ocean, lie 21-kilometers of minefields that are well marked, but not all are
fenced. In August 2002, a Chilean/Ecuadorian family of five crossed a minefield
in this area (and, miraculously, survived), demonstrating the need to improve
safety conditions in mined areas that are easily
accessible.[31]
Approximately 56 kilometers south of Iquique, along the Pan-American Highway,
there is a stretch of several kilometers flanked by skull and crossbones signs
that read “Peligro de muerte” (danger of death). This area is not
fenced off, and appears to be a military practice
zone.[32]
Landmine Monitor revisited Chile’s popular tourist destination San
Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile and reconfirmed that along the international
highway to Argentina, ten kilometers outside of town, there are two riverbed
ravines that have landmines, although it is unclear whether the mines were laid
there or they shifted down from higher altitudes. The area is marked as a zone
of explosives, but not specifically
landmines.[33] Local tourism
authorities are reported to be upset that nothing had yet been done about the
explosives close to areas visited by many tourists, and named places of concern
including Valle de la Luna, Licancabur volcano, Toconao, Ollagüe and the
Jama pass to Bolivia.[34]
Landmine Monitor saw two military practice areas, each with markings, but
neither fenced off, on the road between Calama and San Pedro de
Atacama.[35]
The town of Chacabuco, approximately 100 kilometers east of Antofagasta, is a
National Historic Monument, but is practically abandoned. Inside the town,
there are approximately ten warning signs, but no fencing except for barbed wire
on the ground. Chacabuco was used during the dictatorship as a concentration
camp for political prisoners and there are rumors that it was mined to prevent
their escape.[36]
The National Forestry Service, Conaf, a government agency that manages
Chile’s national parks and reserves, has confirmed to Landmine Monitor
that there are mined areas in six state-protected wilderness areas in Regions I,
II and XII, though no employees or visitors are known to have been hurt by
mines.[37] Conaf is in the
process of establishing the Alto Loa national nature reserve in Ollagüe,
Region II, which includes minefield on the Bolivian border, just east of the
town of Ascotán.[38]
Region V
In some new information, both Article 7 reports list 123 M-35 mines laid in
Tejas Verdes, San Antonio Sector in Region V, a densely populated central region
of the country. The September 2002 report states that the mined areas are
marked with warning signs and fenced
off.[39] Speaking on a radio talk
show on the landmine situation in the country, IDEESI Director Raúl
Söhr said it was a shame that the military government had laid mines around
an installation where it kept political prisoners following the 1973
coup.[40] He called on the
government to clear these mines as soon as possible.
Landmine Monitor inspected a minefield located on a hill above part of the
Tejas Verdes military regiment at Llo Lleo and across the street from private
residences. On 30 May 2003, residents were invited to a meeting with the
military during which they were informed that this is the area will be the first
to be demined in Chile, beginning 1 September
2003.[41]
Region XII
On 7 February 2003, Landmine Monitor accepted an invitation by the Chilean
Navy to visit minefields on two Patagonian islands in the Beagle Channel in
Region XII, just north of Cape Horn —Isla Nueva and Isla
Picton—which are only accessible by
boat.[42] The islands lie four
kilometers from the Argentine border and were mined in 1983 following border
tensions with Argentina.[43]
Landmine Monitor was able to verify that the state of fencing and marking in the
islands is very good.[44] The
Navy conducts annual maintenance on the fencing and markings of these
minefields,[45] which contain M-16
and M-178 AP mines.[46] The Navy
says there is no tourism on either island, because they are both almost
completely inaccessible unless one travels there with the assistance of the
Chilean Navy.
Previous research by Landmine Monitor in the area of Region XII closer to
Punta Arenas confirmed the presence of a number of minefields, but few locals
consider the minefields to be a problem. Human casualties have never been
reported, although the mines have killed some cows. No one considers landmines
to be a hindrance to economic activity, since minefields are generally placed on
private land that is used for grazing, and the areas of land are so enormous
(92,000 hectares, for example), that if two hectares are taken up with
minefields, it makes almost no difference. All the minefields viewed during
field research were double-fenced, although they were not very well marked.
Generally they were much better maintained than minefields in the
north.[47]
Unexploded Ordnance
Several items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) were found this reporting period,
including, alarmingly, some in and around Santiago. On 20 January 2003, two
105-mm projectiles were discovered outside Calama, Region II, in an area that
had formerly been used for military practice. They were detonated by the
military, which said they had been there for at least forty
years.[48] A boy discovered a
60-mm antitank rocket launcher in Puente Alto, just south of Santiago, on 20
January 2003. He rolled the explosive up in a T-shirt and brought it home, and
his father in turn brought it to the
police.[49] On 2 February 2003,
an 81-mm US-manufactured mortar was found in a ravine outside
Antofagasta[50] and two days later
two rusty mortar projectiles, one active, were found in a backyard in the
residential neighborhood of Ñuñoa in
Santiago.[51] On 26 March 2003, a
40-mm mortar inscribed 1968 was found on the grounds of Mejillones port, just
north of Antofagasta in Region
II.[52]
Coordination and Planning
Chile’s National Demining Commission
(Comisión Nacional del Desminado, CNAD) was established by an official
decree on 2 May 2002, officially registered with the Comptroller General’s
Office on 18 June 2002, and officially constituted on 19 August
2002.[53] The Defense Ministry
chairs the commission, which is comprised of representatives from the Ministries
of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Health, Interior, and
Education.[54] CNAD is supposed
to include civil society organizations in its planning process, but Colonel
Guerra told Landmine Monitor that no NGOs have officially requested to be
incorporated into the demining process; some have made suggestions, but nothing
more.[55]
The purpose of CNAD is to coordinate mine clearance and stockpile destruction
efforts, to establish strategies and priorities for the National Demining Plan,
and to receive and distribute national budget allocations and any funding from
external sources.[56] The
government has also announced that the provision of humanitarian assistance
provided to survivors, their families and communities will also be an integral
part of CNAD’s work.[57]
CNAD completed its National Demining Plan on 10 January
2003.[58] A CNAD official told
Landmine Monitor that it plans to start mine removal from the inside out, by
clearing minefields furthest from the border and closest to inhabited areas
first and then moving out toward the
borders.[59] As a result of
concerns about how Chile will protect its border once the mines have been
removed, the government has made it clear that it will carefully study
alternative means of protection before initiating the mine removal
process.[60]
Mine Action Funding
At the May 2003 intersessional Standing Committee
meetings, the OAS presented a projection of financial resources and requirements
for the period 2003-2007. Under item “Regional (Chile, Argentina, other
countries and activities)” funding levels total US$2.1 million for
2003-2007: $200,000 for 2003; $400,000 for 2004; $500,000 for 2005; $500,000
for 2006; and $500,000 for
2007.[61]
These numbers contrast with the estimated $324 million ($120 million for
demining, $123 million for defense items that can substitute for mines and $81
million for “symbolic demining”) that the Minister of Defense
presented to the Senate Defense Commission in late October
2001.[62] A Ministry of Defense
official told Landmine Monitor that the Senate Commission used the figures as
estimates to get a rough idea of costs, but said there are not yet any official
figures available for the cost of demining in
Chile.[63]
CNAD received a budget allocation of CLP$90 million ($130,000) for the year
2002, which essentially covered administrative and start-up
costs.[64] CNAD’s 2003
budget a totaled $257,000.[65]
A delegation from the OAS visited Argentina and Chile in April 2003 to
coordinate OAS support for their respective stockpile destruction plans.
According to the OAS, Canada pledged approximately $140,000 to support stockpile
destruction in these two countries during
2003.[66]
Mine Clearance
While no humanitarian mine clearance has been
initiated, planning is progressing, with the aim of starting demining activities
in 2004. In a symbolic act, Chile destroyed in situ 382 M-14
antipersonnel mines in the Baquedano sector in Region I in November 2002, and
declared the area to be free of
mines.[67] Chile reported that
this clearance was carried out for training purposes. Previously, in April
2001, Chilean Army engineers had demined a small area of land near the border
with Perú.[68]
In May 2003, Chile outlined plans to initiate full-scale mine clearance in
2004 with the aim of finishing by the 2011 ten-year clearance deadline, and
indicated that this would require outside
resources.[69]
During the Landmine Monitor research trip to the Patagonian islands of Nueva
and Picton, the Marine official in charge of Navy minefield maintenance said
that because of the terrain’s characteristics on the islands, the mines
would not be removed, but rather destroyed in situ with an electric wire.
According to the official this was possible because the Navy had all the
original registries that indicate the exact number of mines per
field.[70] The terrain is mossy
and tundra-like, sitting on top of a marsh, features that would make mine
removal difficult.
Media reports in September 2002 commented on the difficulties of mine
clearance in Chile due to the extreme geography, terrain, and climate. In the
northern Region I, for example, no mine removal can be done in January, February
and March due to the torrential rains of the Bolivian winter; while in the
extreme south, mine removal can only be done in these same months. The reports
also described the psychological and physical stress faced by deminers.
Deminers and their families receive psychological support, and CNAD provides
life insurance for the deminers.
Media reports indicated that as of September 2002, Chile only owned demining
equipment and suits for ten deminers. In 2003 necessary equipment was going to
be purchased to be ready for mine clearance in
2004.[71] According to CNAD,
240 deminers have been training for three years to carry out mine clearance in
Chile.[72]
The Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) donated its
Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) survey software to the
Chilean Ministry of Defense in early 2003 and provided technical support for
installation and operation.[73]
Chile has purchased the necessary equipment to run the software and when
training was completed in early April 2003, the Defense Ministry said it would
begin inputting survey data in a systematic fashion and complete any information
that might be missing from its first two Article 7
Reports.[74] IMSMA-ready
computers have been installed in regional centers and teams are inputting
data.[75]
Mine Risk Education
No official mine risk education (MRE) programs are
available in Chile, but the government has reported ten measures used to warn
the population about landmine dangers, from fencing to media
messages.[76] According to
February 2003 media reports, the Army’s First Division re-launched a
full-color bilingual (English-Spanish) brochure called “Seguridad y
Prevención” (Safety and Prevention) that was originally printed in
2001. It includes ten recommendations for how visitors can avoid accidents with
landmines, and pictures of the different kinds of explosives a visitor might
come across. The brochure is designed for tourists visiting Region II and is
available at all the local government tourism offices and at the Army regiments.
The brochure describes minefields as well marked and fenced, but acknowledges
that mines can shift due to heavy rains, and recommends that visitors stay on
roads at all times. It also provides emergency phone numbers for military
regiments and hospitals in the
area.[77]
The 2002/2003 summer safety campaign also included a recommendation that
nobody should touch or pick up unidentified objects, especially if they are
close to minefields or military practice grounds. The campaign reiterated that
minefields are fenced off and that nobody should go in them or tamper with their
safety markings.[78] UXO
survivor José Miguel Larenas criticized the campaign, saying it was not
widespread enough and did not provide enough detailed information about the
exact location of minefields. Local tourism authorities said the brochure
should be passed out to hostels and tour
operators.[79]
CNAD representatives have stated that if civilians have any information about
mines or problems with minefield fencing or markings, they should communicate
this to the nearest Army regiment or in writing to the Defense
Ministry.[80] However, there is
no hotline or e-mail address dedicated to receiving this information and the
options of calling or writing are not easy for low-income families who live in
rural and/or isolated areas.
NGO Activities
In November 2002, ICBL member Instituto de
Ecología Política organized a meeting with mayors of Chilean
mine-affected municipalities from the north and south of the country, with the
goal of creating a network of mine-affected municipalities that could become an
effective lobbying platform and mechanism for establishing mine clearance
priorities from an organized civil society
standpoint.[81]
In 2002, Canada provided Can$7,112 to a Chilean group (Grupo de
Sobrevivientes de Minas AP y Municiones sin estallar de las Americas) in
cooperation with the Federico Santa María University, for a website on
“Landmine and UXO survivors of the Americas” and other general mine
awareness and advocacy related
activities.[82]
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, one incident was reported, which resulted
in one person being injured. On 6 September 2002, a 24-year-old military
officer was injured when the vehicle he was traveling in hit an antivehicle mine
during preparations for demining near the Bolivian border. The place where the
incident occurred supposedly was not
mined.[83]
In 2001, three civilians were injured and one military officer was killed in
landmine incidents.[84] Between
1976 and 2000, 26 civilians were reportedly injured and seven killed by
landmines. In the same period, 50 Chilean military personnel were reported
injured and five killed.[85]
In the first five months of 2003, two incidents were reported, which resulted
in two injuries. On 15 January 2003, a 23-year-old indigenous Aymara man
suffered injuries to both hands while handling an explosive that the press
reported was an antipersonnel
mine.[86] On 21 March 2003, a
26-year-old Peruvian citizen lost his left leg after stepping on a landmine when
entering Chile illegally from Perú through the Quebrada de Escritos pass.
His Bolivian companion walked seven kilometers to a police post to get help.
The military sent a special unit of army engineers and deminers to rescue the
injured man, who was found in the middle of a minefield in an area extremely
difficult to access. Eight hours went by before he finally arrived at the Juan
Noé hospital in Arica. Both the survivor and his friend were placed
under military custody.[87]
Landmine Monitor visited several rural towns in northern Chile in 2001, 2002
and 2003 to determine if any undocumented survivors live in these
areas.[88] To date, only one
mine survivor has been identified, a young boy who lives in Villablanca, three
hours walking distance from the “Apacheta de Oje” minefield.
Chile’s minefields are so isolated and rural that it is very possible that
incidents have happened over the years without being reported.
Survivor Assistance and Disability Policy and Practice
Chilean military personnel injured by mines and UXO
receive care in military hospitals. There are no specific services available
through the public health system, private health institutions or NGOs for
civilian landmine survivors in
Chile.[89] The Fondo Nacional
de Discapacitados (National Fund for the Disabled) provides social assistance
for persons with disabilities.
At the stockpile destruction event in Region I in August 2002, President
Lagos recognized the approximately 70 landmine casualties in Chile, and
acknowledged that the State has a responsibility for these
incidents.[90] The government
announced that assistance to survivors, their families and communities will be
an integral part of CNAD’s
work.[91]
On 27 February 2002, Chile ratified the OAS Inter-American Convention on the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with
Disabilities.[92] One key aim
of this treaty is to provide legislative, social, educative, and labor means for
their reintegration into society.
The 1994 Law 19,284, Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities
(Integración Social de las Personas con Discapacidad), has undergone a
series of modifications that have highlighted issues relating to people with
disabilities and benefits available to them. Despite this, persons with
disabilities, regardless of the cause of their disability, are still
discriminated against in Chile and State support is minimal. Persons with
disability must be registered in the National Disabled Registry in order to
receive benefits and services. Landmine Monitor is not aware of any State-run
programs that provide services specifically designed for landmine UXO survivors.
[1] Promulga la Convención sobre la
Prohibición del Empleo, Almacenamiento, Producción y Transferencia
de Minas Antipersonal y sobre su Destrucción Normas Generales, Diario
Oficial Documento 4, 2002, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Subsecretario de
Relaciones Exteriores, 9 March 2002. [2]
Interview with Coronel Rafael Guerra, Executive Secretary, National Demining
Commission (CNAD), Santiago, 10 June
2003. [3] The reports do not include Form
H, on the technical characteristics of each type of mine produced, owned or
possessed, or Form I, on measures to provide warning to the
population. [4] Article 7 Report, Form A,
5 September 2002. “declara que, reitera a la comunidad internacional su
firme y decidido compromiso asumido desde 1985, de no producir, exportar,
importar e instalar nuevas minas terrestres antipersonal.” (Chile
reiterates to the international community its firm and decided commitment, made
in 1985, not to produce, export, import or lay new
landmines). [5] See Landmine Monitor
Report 1999, p. 290, for details and
types. [6] Ministry of Foreign Affairs
press release, “Canciller Alvear Inauguró Reunión
Ministerial de Seguridad Humana,” 2 July 2002; “Desde Chile abogan
por término de minas antipersonales y niños soldados,”
Agence France Presse (Santiago), 2 July 2002; IEP press release, “Las
minas antipersonales siguen amenazando al mundo,” 3 July 2002; IEP press
release, “Red de Seguridad Humana en Chile insiste en una doctrina de paz
mundial,” 3 July 2002. [7] Statement
by Chilean delegation to Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 16 September
2002 (Landmine Monitor notes). In its initial Article 7 Report, Chile stated
that it would retain 28,647 antipersonnel
mines. [8] Fifth Conference of Defense
Ministers of the Americas, “Declaración de Santiago de
Chile,” Santiago, 22 November 2002.
[9] Entitled “Seminario
Internacional sobre Desminado Humanitario y la Construcción de Sociedades
en las Américas” (International Seminar on humanitarian demining
and the construction of societies in the
Americas). [10] Landmine Monitor Chile
(Dana Holahan, Fabiola Fariña and Louise Egan), “Minas Antipersonal
en Chile: Fantasmas del pasado, presente y futuro” (Antipersonnel mines in
Chile: Ghosts of the past, present and future), November
2002. [11] Entitled
“Transformaciones: Trabajando con la juventud por un planeta libre de
minas (Transformations: Working with youth for a mine-free world). The youth
seminar aimed to increase knowledge of the issue, enhance leadership, organizing
and campaigning skills and to create a network of youth campaigners in the
Americas. [12] Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 393. [13] Article 7 Report, Form
F, 5 September 2002. For details, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
172. [14] Article 7 Report, Form F, 5
September 2002. Destroyed were 71,635 M-14s, 4,603 M-35s, and 150 MAPP 78-F2s.
Landmine Monitor Chile researchers attended the destruction. After the event,
the Defense Ministry issued a press release denying that any antivehicle mines
had been destroyed, as had been incorrectly reported by the local press.
Ministry of Defense press release, “Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
desmiente destrucción de minas antitanque,” 28 August
2002. [15] Ministry of Defense press
release, “Antecedentes relevantes destrucción de minas
antipersonal,” 27 August 2002. [16]
Article 7 Report, Form B, 30 April 2003. Due to an error in addition,
Chile’s September 2002 report cited a stockpile of 211,076 mines. Article
7 Report, Form B, 5 September 2002. [17]
Article 7 Report, Form B, 30 April
2003. [18] Article 7 Report, Form F, 30
April 2003; intervention by Col. Rafael Guerra, Executive Secretary CNAD, at the
Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 May 2003 (Landmine
Monitor/MAC notes); Defense Ministry official destruction certificate,
“Acta de Destrucción,” Las Bandurrias, Coyhaique, XI
Región, 8 May 2003. [19] The 72,600
antipersonnel mines destroyed were: 34,972 M-14; 4,004 FAMAE PR (not included in
the list of stockpiled mines); 5,054 M-35; 15,937 Cardoen Mod. I; 9,689 Cardoen
Mod. II; 817 Cardoen M-178; and 2,127 MAPP 78-F2 mines. Article 7 Report, Form
F, 30 April 2003; “Ejército destruye 2.860 minas antipersonales en
zona austral,” ORBE (Punta Arenas), 25 April 2003; “Destruidas 30
mil minas antipersonales” La Prensa Austral (Punta Arenas), 25 April 2003;
“Chile destruye minas antipersonales y mejora relación
vecinal” Reuters (Punta Arenas), 10 May 2003; Ministry of Defense press
release, “Ministra de Defensa Nacional Encabeza Destrucción de
Todas las Minas Antipersonal en Stock en la XI Región”, 8 May 2003;
Ministry of Defense press release, “Ministra de Defensa Nacional Encabeza
Destrucción de la Totalidad de las Minas Antipersonal de la Zona
Austral,” 9 May 2003. [20]
Intervention by Col. Rafael Guerra, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction,
15 May 2003. [21] Initially, it stated
that 28,647 mines would be retained. See Article 7 Report, Form D, 5 September
2002. At the February 2003 Standing Committee meetings, Chile reported that it
was reducing the number to a total of 18,656 mines and that this number was
under revision. In its second Article 7 report, Chile reported a further
reduction to 6,245. See Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 April
2003. [22] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30
April 2003. [23]
Ibid. [24] The difference is accounted by
an additional 1,194 M-14 mines in Sector Noreste de Arica (Region I); 382 fewer
M-14 mines in Sector Baquedano in the northern zone that was not listed again;
and 30 fewer M-14 AP mines in Sector Cerro Inacaliri in Region II. The 382 M-14
AP mines in Sector Baquedano in the northern zone were reportedly cleared in
November 2002. See Article 7 Report, Form G, 30 April
2003. [25] Article 7 Report, Form C, 5
September 2002. [26] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 172. [27] Article
7 Report, Form C, 30 April 2003. [28] For
a detailed description of mined areas in Regions I, II and XII, see Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 395-397; and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
172-173. [29] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 173, for previous Landmine Monitor research in northern Chile,
including the vicinities of minefields in Portezuelo Cerro Capitán, Paso
Hauilla, Paso Apacheta de Tillujalla, Apacheta de Oje, all near Colchane.
[30] Landmine Monitor field visits to
Visviri (on 27 November 2002), Tacora (28 November 2002), Iquique (13 December
2002), San Pedro de Atacama (2 January 2003) and Calama (2 February
2003). [31] “Un milagro en la
frontera,” La Estrella de Arica (Arica), 24 August 2002; “Una
familia cruzó un campo minado al cruzar clandestinamente a Chile desde
Perú,” Agence France Presse (Santiago), 24 August
2002. [32] Landmine Monitor field visit to
Iquique, 13 December 2002. [33] Interview
with Police Sergeant Cárdenas, San Pedro de Atacama, 2 January
2003. [34] Interview with a member of the
National Tourism Service (Sernatur) office, San Pedro de Atacama, 2 January
2003. [35] Landmine Monitor field visit to
San Pedro de Atacama, 2 January 2003. [36]
Landmine Monitor field visit to Chacabuco, Sierra Gorda, 18 June 2003; telephone
interview with Mario Aleada, Baquedano Municipality, 22 June
2003. [37] Fax from Carlos Weber,
Executive Director, Conaf, 27 July 2001; letter to MUACC Director Elir Rojas
from Carlos Weber, Executive Director, Conaf, No. 215, 1 August
2001. [38] “Conaf creó nueva
reserva nacional en Segunda Región,” Estrella del Loa (Calama), 18
March 2002; telephone interview with Eduardo Rodríguez, chief of natural
patrimony, Conaf Region II, Antofagasta, 2 July
2003. [39] Article 7 Report, Form C, 5
September 2002. [40] Landmine Monitor
(MAC) was also present during the radio show. Universidad de Chile Radio
(Santiago), 22 November 2002. [41]
Landmine Monitor field visit to Tejas Verdes military regiment in Llo Lleo, 6
June 2003; interview with José Alejandro Undurraga Paul, Llo Lleo, 6 June
2003. [42] Letter to Landmine Monitor
(Chile) from Captain Cristian Millar Drago, acting Navy General Chief of Staff
ref: 2200/4, 23 January 2003. [43]
Landmine Monitor interview with Denis Chevally, Punta Arenas, 9 March 2002.
Chevally is a specialist in the history of the area between Punta Arenas and
Cape Horn, including Tierra del Fuego. He has walked all over the islands in
southern Patagonia and does not report to have seen or heard of minefields in
southern Tierra del Fuego or in the Beagle Channel besides those officially
reported by the Chilean Navy. [44]
Landmine Monitor field visit to Isla Nueva and Isla Picton, 7 February
2003. [45] Interview with Sub-Official
Pino, Isla Nueva and Isla Picton, 7 February 2003. Sub-Official Pino is a Naval
Marine in charge of minefield maintenance on the islands in the Beagle Channel
and Cape Horn. Information also provided to Landmine Monitor by the Navy in a
letter from the Third Naval Zone Commander-in-Chief, Rear Admiral Arturo Ojeda
Zernott, dated 7 March 2002. [46] See
Article 7 Report, Form C, 5 September 2002. M-178 antipersonnel mines were
manufactured by Chilean producer
Cardoen. [47] Landmine Monitor field visit
to minefields in Region XII in San Gregorio, Puerto Natales, Río Verde
and Punta Delgada, 5-10 March 2002. [48]
“Hallan peligrosos explosivos,” El Mercurio de Calama, 21 January
2003. [49] “Joven encuentra cohete
antitanque en Puente Alto,” Diario El Mostrador (Santiago), 21 January
2003. [50] “Detonan proyectil de
guerra en quebrada,” El Mercurio de Antofagasta, 3 February 2003;
“Buscaba ripio y encontró un mortero,” La Estrella del Norte
(Antofagasta), 3 February 2003. [51]
“Hallan dos proyectiles en patio de Ñuñoa,” Las
Últimas Noticias (Santiago), 5 February
2003. [52] “Peligroso mortero
descubren en Megapuerto,” El Mercurio de Antofagasta, 27 March
2003. [53] Ministry of Defense press
release, “Antecedentes relevantes destrucción de minas
antipersonal,” 27 August 2002. [54]
Interview with Colonel Rafael Guerra, Executive Secretary, CNAD, Santiago, 18
March 2003. [55] Interview with Colonel
Rafael Guerra, CNAD, 10 June 2003. [56]
Interview with Ramón Hormazábal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Santiago, 22 November 2001; interview with Colonel Patricio Rojas, Ministry of
Defense, Santiago, 23 January 2002. [57]
Ministry of Defense press release, 27 August
2002. [58] Interview with Colonel Rafael
Guerra, CNAD, 18 March 2003. [59]
Interview with Colonel Patricio Rojas, CNAD, Santiago, 26 June
2002. [60] “Gobierno analiza
refuerzo de seguridad fronteriza tras retiro de minas,” Radio Cooperativa
(Santiago), 10 October 2002, available at
www.cooperativa.cl. [61]
See OAS, “Mine Action Program: Making the Western Hemisphere
landmine-safe,” Resource Mobilization: Projection of Financial
Resources/Requirements 2003-2007, p. 6. Presentation at the Standing Committee
on General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 12 May
2003. [62] “Gobierno
gastará cerca de US$320 millones en desactivar minas
antipersonales” El Mercurio (Santiago), 29 October 2001; “Gobierno
anuncia fuerte inversión para destruir minas antipersonales” La
Tercera (Santiago), 29 October
2001. [63] Telephone interview with
Colonel Patricio Rojas, 10 July
2002. [64] Over the past two years, the
Chilean peso has fluctuated from CLP$650:US$1 to CLP$800:US$1. “Gobierno
creará organismo técnico para desminar frontera,” El
Mercurio, 3 October 2001; “Defensa crea organismo para eliminar minas
antipersonales,” El Metropolitano (Santiago), 4 October
2001. [65] Interview with Coronel Rafael
Guerra, CNAD, 10 June 2003. [66] OAS,
“OAS update on regional mine action efforts,” May 2003, p.
4. [67] Article 7 Report, Forms F and G,
30 April 2003. [68] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 174. [69] Intervention
by Col. Rafael Guerra, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 15 May
2003. [70] Interview with Sub-Official
Pino, Isla Nueva and Isla Picton, 7 February 2003. Information about the
Navy’s registries was also officially provided by the Navy in a letter
from Third Naval Zone Commander-in-Chief, Rear Admiral Arturo Ojeda Zernott,
dated 7 March 2002. [71] “Minas
enterradas: 240 militares estarán 7 años en máximo
riesgo,” La Segunda (Santiago), 2 September 2002; “Jóvenes y
solteros desactivan las minas,” El Mercurio (Arica), 17 September
2002. [72] Interview with Coronel Rafael
Guerra, CNAD, 10 June 2003. [73]
Telephone interview with Simon Berger, IMSMA Regional Coordinator, GICHD,
Santiago, 28 March 2003; GICHD, “Update on Activities between January and
October 2002,” Geneva 31 October
2002. [74] Telephone interview with
Simon Berger, GICHD, 28 March 2003; interview with Colonel Rafael Guerra, CNAD,
18 March 2003. [75] Telephone interview
with Colonel Rafael Guerra, Executive Secretary, CNAD, 2 July
2003. [76] Article 7 Report, Form I, 5
September 2002. [77] “Editan
tríptico sobre minas personales,” La Estrella del Norte
(Antofagasta), 19 July 2001; “Simbólica destrucción de
minas,” El Mercurio de Calama, 13 September
2001. [78] “Campaña
preventiva por minas antipersonales,” El Mercurio de Antofagasta, 10
February 2003. [79] “Alertan a
turistas por campos minados,” Las Últimas Noticias, 11 February
2003. [80] Statement made by Colonel
Rafael Guerra, Executive Secretary, CNAD, at the “!Minas
Antipersonales...problemática latente en nuestras fronteras!”
Seminar, Iquique, 28 April 2003. [81]
This first meeting was held on 20 November 2002. Interview with Manuel
Baquedano, Director, IEP, 2 April
2002. [82] UN Mine Action Investments
database, www.mineaction.org; see also,
www.gsmma.org [83]
“Militar herido: es un milagro,” La Estrella de Arica, 9 September
2002; “Soldado chileno herido por explosión de mina
antitanque,” Agence France Presse (Santiago), 7 September 2002;
“Herido tras explosar mina,” La Estrella de Arica, 7 September
2002. [84] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 175. [85] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 402. [86] “Joven
herido por mina antipersonal,” La Estrella de Iquique, 15 January 2003;
“Mina antipersonal hirió a aymará de Chile,” AFP
(Santiago), 15 January 2003. [87]
“Le explotó mina a ‘burrero’ peruano,” La
Estrella de Arica, 22 March 2003; ”Peruano herido por mina,” La
Estrella de Iquique, 22 March 2003; “Ejército logra rescate en zona
minada,” El Mercurio (Santiago), 22 March 2003; “Peruano narco sufre
amputación por mina,” Las Últimas Noticias, 22 March
2003. [88] Landmine Monitor field visits
to northern Regions I and II, 2001, 2002 and
2003. [89] See Landmine Monitor Report
2000, p. 312. [90] “Chile
iniciará retiro de minas en frontera con el Perú,” El
Peruano (Lima, Peru), 9 September
2002. [91] Ministry of Defense press
release, 27 August 2002. [92] OAS press
release, “Chile ratifica convención Interamericana para eliminar
discriminación contra discapacitados,” 27 February
2002.
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