Seventeen of the 40
countries in the Asia Pacific region are States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty:
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia,
Maldives, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Thailand and Timor-Leste. Two countries acceded to the treaty in this reporting
period: Afghanistan on 11 September 2002 and Timor-Leste on 7 May 2003. Five
signatory countries have not yet ratified the Mine Ban Treaty: Brunei, Cook
Islands, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, and Vanuatu.
Eighteen states in the region have not yet joined the treaty.
Non-signatories include major antipersonnel mines producers and stockpilers such
as China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Singapore, and highly mine-affected
countries including Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Others
non-signatories are Bhutan, North Korea, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Palau,
Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
Laos and Sri Lanka have been reviewing their position regarding the Mine Ban
Treaty and are considering accession. Internal procedures are in progress to
ratify in Indonesia and the Cook Islands, and to accede in Papua New Guinea.
Seven non-signatory countries from the region voted in favor of UN General
Assembly Resolution 57/74 in November 2002, which called for universalization
and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. This group included: Bhutan,
Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Tonga. Among the
signatories, Brunei and Indonesia voted for the resolution, while others were
absent for the vote. Among the 23 states abstaining from voting were China,
India, FS Micronesia, Pakistan, South Korea and Vietnam.
During the reporting period no States Parties passed domestic legislation to
implement the provisions of the Mine Ban Treaty. Only five Asia-Pacific States
Parties have domestic legislation in place: Australia, Cambodia, Japan, New
Zealand and Malaysia. Bangladesh reported that national implementation
legislation was in its final stage of preparation, and the Philippines has
legislation pending.
All States Parties, except Nauru and Solomon Islands, have submitted their
initial Article 7 transparency report. Only Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Niue and
Samoa have not yet submitted required annual updates.
Fourteen countries from the region attended the Fourth Meeting of States
Parties in September 2002, including five non-signatory countries: Mongolia,
Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Sri Lanka. At the meeting,
Thailand’s offer to host the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok in
September 2003 was approved. Also, Australia became co-rapporteur of the
Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, and Cambodia become co-rapporteur of
the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance. Fifteen countries, including China,
attended at least one of the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in
February and May 2003.
Nine States Parties from the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Bangladesh,
Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and Timor-Leste),
as well as Indonesia, Canada, and Norway, formed the Bangkok Regional Action
Group (BRAG) with the aim of promoting landmine initiatives in the region in the
lead up to the Fifth Meeting of States Parties.
From 26-28 March 2003, Cambodia hosted a regional seminar on “Building
a Co-operative Future for Mine Action in South East Asia” in Phnom
Penh.
The final declaration of the XIII Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting, held on
25-27 February 2003 in Kuala Lumpur, condemned antipersonnel mine use; NAM
States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty urged non-States Parties to join the
treaty.
The Inter Religious Peace Foundation hosted the Asia-Pacific Landmine Monitor
researchers’ meeting in Colombo from 27 to 31 January 2003.
Use
Use of antipersonnel mines and improvised explosive
devices (IEDs) has been reported in five Asian countries in the reporting
period. In Nepal, government and military officials have for the first time
officially acknowledged use of antipersonnel mines by security forces. Both
Nepalese government and Maoist rebels expanded their use of antipersonnel mines
and IEDs in 2002, including use in all 75 districts; however, there has been
little or no use since the January 2003 cease-fire.
In mid- 2002, Indian and Pakistani forces ceased their massive mine-laying
operations, during which several million mines were likely planted near their
border. In addition, militant groups in India continued to use landmines and
IEDs in Jammu and Kashmir, and at least five other non-state groups in other
Indian states have used landmines in the reporting period.
Myanmar’s military has continued laying landmines and at least fifteen
rebel groups also used mines—two more than last year. In the Philippines,
three rebel groups used antipersonnel mines and improvised explosive devices,
including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), despite its having signed
the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment prohibiting all use.
In addition to those five countries, there were a small number of incidents
of reported use of IEDs in Indonesia in the conflicts in Ambon and Aceh, and
reports of sporadic landmine use by resistance elements in Afghanistan.
In Sri Lanka there have been no reports of mine use by either the government
or the LTTE since the December 2001 cease-fires.
Production and Transfer
Nine of the fifteen current producers are in the
Asia/Pacific region: China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, South Korea,
Pakistan, Singapore and Vietnam. This year, Landmine Monitor is adding Nepal to
the list, reflecting the open admission by government officials that production
has taken place.
India and Pakistan are actively engaged in new production of antipersonnel
mines that are compliant with Amended Protocol II of the CCW. State-owned
Pakistan Ordnance Factories is producing both new detectable hand-emplaced
antipersonnel mines and new remote-delivered mines with self-destruct and
self-deactivating mechanisms. India indicated that it has met all necessary
technical and financial requirements for production of new detectable
antipersonnel mines. China declared that since 1997, it has ceased the
production of antipersonnel mines that lack self-destruct mechanisms. South
Korea reported that in 2002 it did not produce any antipersonnel mines,
including Claymore mines. Singapore, however, confirmed that it continues to
manufacture antipersonnel mines. In the reporting period, it appears that rebel
groups produced and used significant numbers of homemade antipersonnel mines in
Burma, India, Nepal, and the Philippines.
All producers, except Myanmar and North Korea, have export moratoria in place
or have stated that they no longer export antipersonnel mines. China reaffirmed
its limited moratorium in December 2002. South Korea announced the indefinite
extension of its moratorium in December 2002.
Stockpiling and Destruction
Landmine Monitor estimates that China possesses the
world’s largest mine stockpile, with some 110 million antipersonnel mines.
Landmine Monitor has in the past identified Pakistan and India as having the
fourth and fifth largest stockpiles, with an estimated 6 million and 4-5 million
mines, respectively. These estimates may no longer be accurate after the
massive mines-laying operations in December 2001 and early 2002. The South
Korean government confirmed a stockpile of two million antipersonnel mines.
Other countries holding stockpiles include non-signatories Burma (Myanmar),
North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as
signatories Brunei and Indonesia.
Bangladesh is the only State Party in the Asia/Pacific region with a
stockpile still to destroy. It reported for the first time a stockpile of
204,227 antipersonnel mines, and indicated it will retain 15,000 antipersonnel
mines for training (one of the highest totals of any State Party). Bangladesh
is expected to become co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Stockpile
Destruction in September 2003.
Japan completed destruction of its 1,000,089 stockpiled antipersonnel mines
on 8 February 2003. Thailand completed the destruction of its 337,725 stockpiled
antipersonnel mines in April 2003. In 2002, Taiwan transferred 42,175
antipersonnel mines to Germany for destruction, as permitted under Article 3 of
the Mine Ban Treaty.
Landmine Problem
In the Asia/Pacific region, fifteen countries, as
well as Taiwan, are mine- and UXO-affected. Afghanistan remained one of the
world’s most mine-impacted countries with over 780 million square meters
of contaminated land. Of this, over 404 million square meters were assessed as
high priority residential areas, commercial land, transport roads, and
agricultural irrigation systems. In Sri Lanka, the extent of the landmine
problem is the object of ongoing surveys. A survey in government-controlled
areas identified minefields in 14.49 million square meters of land, and
identified another 8.3 million square meters as dangerous, requiring further
survey. In LTTE-dominated areas, 156 minefields and 48 other dangerous areas
were identified.
Cambodia is another of the most severely landmine- and UXO-affected countries
in the world. According to the Level One Survey completed in May 2002, 2.5
percent of the country's surface area could be contaminated by mines or UXO.
However, many feel this overstates the problem, and the government is using as a
planning figure 10 percent of the LIS estimates, indicating some 425 million
square meters of land likely require clearance.
In Nepal, landmine and IED incidents were reported in 72 of 75 districts. In
India, minefields are being cleared all along the 1800-mile border with
Pakistan, crossing the Indian states of Gujurat, Rajastan, Punjab and
Indian-administrated Kashmir. In Pakistan, mines are being cleared on the
border with India, and the most serious landmine problem, as a result of the
Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, is in the Federally Administrated Tribal
Area.
In Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Defense, approximately seven to
eight percent of the country is mine- and UXO-affected. All 61 provinces are
affected, as are major cities. In Laos, fifteen of the country’s eighteen
provinces are impacted by UXO. Nine out of fourteen states and divisions in
Burma are mine-affected, with a heavy concentration in East Burma. In Thailand,
most of the 934 mined areas identified in 27 provinces are no longer marked,
except where active demining is occurring.
A Landmine Impact Survey began in Afghanistan in 2003. General surveys and
assessments were underway in the reporting period in Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Mine Action Funding
Japan’s financial contribution to mine action
rose to $49.4 million in 2002, almost seven times that of the previous year, and
the second highest total globally. Mine action programs in Afghanistan
received almost half of these funds. Between 1998 and 2002, Japan contributed
$91.3 million to mine action. In fiscal year (FY) 2002/2003, Australia committed
US$8.7 million toward mine action activities, its largest total ever. In FY
2001/2002, New Zealand provided NZ$1.85 million (US$1.05 million) in financial
and in-kind support to mine action programs, down from NZ$2.3 million in
2000/2001. China donated $3 million in demining equipment to Eritrea and
Lebanon. South Korea contributed $100,000 to mine action in 2002.
Mine action funding for Afghanistan skyrocketed in 2002, following the ouster
of the Taliban. It was one of the biggest mine action funding recipient
globally in 2002. Funding totaled approximately $64.3 million, more than four
times the 2001 total of $14.1 million. Mine action funding from 1991 through
2002 amounted to some $254 million, also the highest total globally.
In Cambodia, donations to mine action totaled $27.3 million, a significant
increase from $21 million in 2001. In Laos, in mid-2002, a funding crisis led
to significantly scaled-back clearance operations and to the lay-off of nearly
half of UXO LAO’s operational capacity. By year’s end, according to
information gathered by Landmine Monitor, fifteen donors contributed more than
$8 million to mine action in Laos.
Mine action funding for Vietnam more than tripled in 2002, to $17.7 million,
including $11.9 million from Japan. This was the fifth highest total globally.
Nearly all mine action operations had ceased in Sri Lanka in 2000 and 2001 due
to fighting, but after the February 2002 cease-fire, mine action funding totaled
about $6 million. In Thailand, foreign donors provided about $1.7 million to
mine action, compared to $2.6 million in 2001. The Thai government and Thai
foundations provided about $1 million.
Mine Clearance
Humanitarian mine clearance by international,
national, and non-governmental actors was underway in States Parties
Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Thailand, as well as non-States Parties Laos, Sri
Lanka, and Vietnam. In 2002, NGOs increased their demining activities,
particularly in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
In Afghanistan, demining activities by national and international NGOs
expanded dramatically as the mine action budget more than quadrupled. In 2002,
mine action agencies cleared 22.5 million square meters of mined land, and 88.6
million square meters of former battlefields, compared to 15.6 million square
meters of land cleared in 2001. The UN temporarily halted demining operations
in eastern and southern provinces due to a series of attacks on demining staff
and other humanitarian aid workers that began in April 2003. The Cambodian Mine
Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) reports that approximately 34.7
million square meters of land was cleared in 2002, as compared to 21.9 million
square meters of land cleared in 2001. The increase was primarily due to
expanded clearance by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
In Sri Lanka, the February 2002 cease-fire has enabled a significant
expansion of mine action activities: a total of 16,356,485 square meters of land
were cleared in 2002, including 36,880 mines and 10,198 UXO. In Laos, 8.4
million square meters of land were cleared and 98,963 items of UXO destroyed.
From 1975 to 2002, Vietnam reported that 1,200 million square meters have been
cleared of 4 million landmines and 8 million UXO. The Thailand Mine Action
Center cleared 368,351 square meters of land in 2002.
After the October 2002 withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian troops from the
border areas, both countries began clearance operations. Pakistan states that
it has cleared most of the minefields, while India states that 85 percent of the
mines it laid have been retrieved so far. In September 2002, North Korea and
South Korea simultaneously commenced mine clearing inside the Demilitarized Zone
for inter-Korean transportation projects. In addition, the South Korea military
cleared over 6,000 landmines around seven military camps and bases. China
reported that new mine clearance activities began along its border with
Vietnam.
Limited mine clearance for military purposes occurred in Nepal and the
Philippines. In 2002, village demining and “bomb hunters” searches
occurred in Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Pakistan, and Vietnam. In Taiwan, a
commercial company removed 5,165 antipersonnel mines from an area of 66,362
square meters on Kinmen Island.
Military units in Burma have repeatedly been accused of forcing people,
compelled to serve as porters, to walk in front of patrols in areas suspected of
mine contamination in order to detonate mines, in so-called “atrocity
demining.”
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
Landmine Monitor noted some form of coordination
and planning body in place in five of the 15 mine-affected countries in the
Asia-Pacific region: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In
Sri Lanka, the National Steering Committee on Mine Action (NSCMA) was
established in late 2002.
In 2002, Landmine Monitor noted a national mine action plan in place in
Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. In Afghanistan, a strategic plan was
released in early 2003 which proposes that, with adequate funding, all mines in
high-priority areas can be removed in five years under an accelerated demining
program. In Cambodia, a mine action activity plan has been prepared for
integration into the country’s National Poverty Reduction Strategy, and
policy guidelines have been developed for a long-term mine action strategy.
According to the United Nations Development Program, it is providing
assistance for the management of mine action programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia,
Laos, and Sri Lanka.
Mine Risk Education (MRE)
Significant MRE programs continued in seven
countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and
Vietnam. New programs were initiated in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. National mine
ban campaigns have undertaken basic MRE initiatives in India, Nepal and South
Korea. Other limited MRE was recorded in Bangladesh, Burma, China, and the
Philippines. No MRE activities were recorded in North Korea or Taiwan.
More than 2.4 million civilians in Afghanistan, including returning refugees
and displaced persons, received mine risk education in 2002. In Cambodia
at least eight organizations were involved in a wide range of MRE activities
including community-based mine risk reduction, MRE integrated in primary school
curricula, and MRE associated with mine clearance operations. Community
Awareness teams visited 683 villages in Laos, reaching 160,053 people; MRE
curricula were introduced in 911 schools reaching a total of 86,500 students.
The Thailand Mine Action Center and two NGOs conducted MRE activities, reaching
at least 52,312 persons; MRE programs were also conducted in six Burmese refugee
camps. In Sri Lanka, UNICEF and NGOs have increased mine risk education
activities. The cease-fire there has greatly increased the need for MRE
activities, as many families are returning to their homes despite possibly heavy
mine contamination. The Vietnamese government conducts mine and UXO risk
education as part of a national injury prevention program. NGOs and certain mass
media organizations also hold mine/UXO risk education programs of their own in
heavily affected areas.
Mine/UXO Casualties
In 2002, mine/UXO casualties were reported in 14 of
the 15 mine-affected countries in the Asia/Pacific region: Afghanistan, Burma,
Cambodia, China, India, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Casualties were also reported in
Indonesia in connection with improvised booby-traps and other explosive devices.
No new mine casualties were reported in Bangladesh. There had not been reports
of casualties from China, Indonesia, and North Korea in the previous reporting
period. In 2002-2003, the following countries had nationals killed or injured
by mines/UXO while abroad engaged in military or demining operations,
peacekeeping, or other activities: Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, India, New
Zealand, and Pakistan.
In Afghanistan, 1,286 casualties were recorded; an estimated 150 new
casualties occur there each month. In Burma, there were at least 114 new
landmine casualties. In Cambodia, 834 new mine and UXO casualties were
reported, up from 829 in 2001, while in India, there were at least 523 mine
casualties, up from 332 in 2001. In Laos, 99 mine/UXO casualties were reported
in nine provinces, 23 fewer than in 2001; however, the reduction may result from
a reduced capacity to collect data. In Nepal, 177 civilian casualties were
reported, including 46 children. In Pakistan, 111 new landmine and UXO
casualties were reported, nineteen more than in 2001. In Sri Lanka, there were
at least 142 new mine casualties; however, this figure is believed incomplete.
In Thailand, 36 casualties were reported, up from 24 in 2001, while in South
Korea there were 15 casualties reported, up from 4 in 2001.
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, mine accidents during clearance
operations or in training exercises caused casualties among deminers and
soldiers in Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Laos,
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Survivor Assistance
In Afghanistan, the Transitional Islamic Government
established a National Disabled Commission, which will draft a comprehensive law
on the rights of persons with disabilities. In Cambodia, an external evaluation
of the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim Information System (CMVIS) reported that the
system is “unique in the world in terms of coverage and detail.”
The ICRC launched an amputee rehabilitation program in a newly renovated
prosthetic center in Songrim, North Korea. In India, civilian mine survivors
living in remote border villages have no access to rehabilitation services;
however, the government has expressed support for the rehabilitation of
survivors, including their socioeconomic reintegration. In Laos, the Ministry
of Labour and Social Welfare held the Second National Workshop on Victim
Assistance to follow up on initiatives undertaken in 2001. Three of
Nepal’s eight hospitals providing assistance to mine/IED casualties
reported difficulties in providing treatment due to financial constraints. In
Sri Lanka, the UNDP Disability Assistance Project began, in the Jaffna district,
promoting the economic reintegration of mine survivors and other persons with
physical disabilities. In Thailand, a comprehensive model for victim assistance
has been designed, but the national plan of action recommended in November 2001
has not been completed. In Vietnam, in an illustration of the plight of many
mine survivors, 60 percent of survivors in Quang Tri have “poverty
cards” identifying them as below the national poverty line.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the voluntary Form J reporting attachment to the
Article 7 report was submitted by Australia, Cambodia, Japan, New Zealand, the
Philippines, and Thailand to report on victim assistance and other mine action
activities in 2002-2003.
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