LM Report 2001

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	Table of Contents
	Select a chapter ... About LM 2001 Introduction Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe/Central Asia Middle East/North Africa ICBL Appendices Exec. Summary Maps
	Select a country ... -STATES PARTIES- Australia Bangladesh Cambodia Fiji Japan Kiribati Malaysia Maldives Nauru New Zealand Niue Philippines Samoa Solomon Islands Thailand -SIGNATORIES- Brunei Darussalam Cook Islands Indonesia Marshall Islands Vanuatu -NON-SIGNATORIES- Afghanistan Bhutan Burma (Myanmar) China India DPR Korea Rep. of Korea Lao PDR Fed. Stat. of Micronesia Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Singapore Sri Lanka Tonga Tuvalu Vietnam -OTHER- East Timor Taiwan

TONGA

While the Kingdom of Tonga has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, Tonga’s delegate to the UN Asia-Pacific Regional Disarmament Conference in Wellington in March 2001 told Landmine Monitor, “The Prime Minister has initiated a process to accede to the treaty and fully supports the ban on antipersonnel mines.” ^[1] The matter currently rests with lawyers in the Crown Law Office. Once accession legislation is drafted, it will be sent to the cabinet for approval, to the Privy Council for assent and then to the king for final approval. To date, there have been problems in joining this and other international treaties due to administrative concerns and due to a need to prioritize the various treaties Tonga is invited to join. The delegate stated, “Our support comes from wanting to do the right thing.” Tonga voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 55/33V in November 2000. It is believed that Tonga has never produced, transferred, stockpiled, or used antipersonnel mines.

^[1] Interview with Suka Mangisi, Legal Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tonga, Wellington, 27 March 2001.