Key developments since May 2002: Thailand
is hosting the Fifth Meeting of States Parties on 15-19 September 2003 in
Bangkok. Thailand completed the destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel
mines in April 2003. In 2002, 368,351 square meters of land were cleared.
Mine Ban Policy
Thailand signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December
1997, and deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 November 1998. The
treaty entered into force in Thailand on 1 May 1999. While Thailand has not
prepared comprehensive domestic legislation to implement the ban treaty, it has
drafted “The Office of the Prime Minister Regulations Governing the
Implementation of the
Convention.”[1] In
addition, the Ministry of Defense is in the process of amending a number of
rules and regulations to conform with the
ban.[2]
Thailand submitted its annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report for the 2002
calendar year on 30 April 2003.
Thailand and Norway served as co-chairs of the Standing Committee on the
General Status and Operation of the Convention from September 2001 until the
Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002. Thailand participated
actively in the February and May 2003 intersessional meetings, and in the
Universalization, Article 7 and Resource Mobilization Contact Groups.
At the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Thailand’s offer to host the
Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok was approved and the date was fixed
for 15-19 September 2003. On 28 April 2003, the Cabinet officially approved the
establishment of the Organizing Committee for the Fifth Meeting of States
Parties.[3] General Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh, the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Organizing
Committee, had already on 29 March 2003 appointed five subcommittees for the
preparation of the meeting.[4]
The government has allocated Baht 5 million
(US$117,346)[5] for the Fifth
Meeting of States Parties.[6]
In its capacity as future President of the Fifth Meeting of States Parties,
Thailand participated in the meetings of the Mine Ban Treaty Coordinating
Committee.
Non-governmental organizations, including the Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center (ADPC), the Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), the General
Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation (GCCF), Handicap International-Thailand (HI),
and the Thailand Campaign to Ban Landmines (TCBL) were invited to join a
strategic planning committee chaired by the Thailand Mine Action Center
(TMAC).[7]
States Parties, primarily from the Asia-Pacific region, formed the Bangkok
Regional Action Group (BRAG) with the aim of promoting landmine ban initiatives
in the region in the lead up to the Fifth Meeting of States
Parties.[8] Thailand, together
with Australia, Japan and other countries in the region, sent a joint
démarche calling on non-States Parties in the region to accede to the
Mine Ban Treaty at the earliest
opportunity.[9] At the February
2003 intersessional Standing Committee meetings, Thailand stated that “the
most practical way to increase participation in the Convention is a step-by-step
approach, the first step being, for instance, forging cooperation in
mine-related activities amongst countries in the
region.”[10]Later
that month, at a meeting of the Conference on Disarmament, Thailand invited all
countries to the Fifth Meeting of States Parties noting that it will be held in
Asia for the first time.[11]
On 22November 2002, Thailand voted in favor of UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74 calling for universalization and full implementation of the
Mine Ban Treaty. As the incoming President of the Fifth Meeting of States
Parties, Thailand jointly introduced the resolution along with the current
President, Belgium, and past President, Nicaragua. Thailand actively sought
cosponsors for the resolution among the Asia-Pacific nations.
The proposals from the ASEAN Regional Seminar on Landmines in South East Asia
held in Thailand in May 2002 have been discussed at the ASEAN Senior Officials
Committee level and are to be presented to an ASEAN Summit on 7-8 October 2003
in Indonesia.[12]
The Thailand Campaign to Ban Landmines (TCBL) translated the 2002 Landmine
Monitor country report for Thailand into Thai language and distributed it widely
to government officials and civilians.
Production and Transfer
Thailand states that it has never produced
antipersonnel mines,[13]
including Claymore mines.[14]
The government of Thailand has never exported antipersonnel mines; however, a
case concerning an apparent attempt in April 2001 by two Thai army officials to
illegally export antipersonnel mines is still being processed by a military
court.[15] Landmine Monitor in
not aware of any response by the Royal Thai Government to previous allegations
regarding the sale of antipersonnel mines by Thai businessmen and by a Thai
military commander to Burmese rebels in
2001.[16]
In November 2002, a report in the Phnom Penh Post stated that
Cambodian smugglers were killed and injured after being forced by the Thai
border police to enter a
minefield.[17] The Supreme
Command Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense conducted an investigation and
“found that the Thai border police did not set up a minefield or employ
any mines in their
operations.”[18] TMAC
also made investigations, and found no evidence that mines had been laid or that
landmines had killed the
smugglers.[19]
Stockpiling and Destruction
On 24 April 2003, Thailand completed the
destruction of its antipersonnel mine stockpile. In a special ceremony the
Canadian Ambassador to Thailand and the Director General of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs International Organization Department pushed the button to
destroy the last of the stockpiled
mines.[20]
Thailand initially held stockpiles of 342,695 antipersonnel mines. From 1999
through 2002, a total of 286,245 antipersonnel mines were
destroyed.[21] Between February
and April 2003, Thailand destroyed another 51,480 antipersonnel mines. Thus, a
total of 337,725 mines were destroyed, at a cost of Baht 10 (US$ 0.23) per mine.
The operation was funded solely by the Royal Thai
Government.[22]
Antipersonnel Mines Destroyed Since Landmine Monitor Report 2002
Location of Destruction
Date of Destruction
Number of APMs Destroyed
APMs Remaining in Stock*
Lopburi (RTA)
5-29 August 2002
20,000
56,450
Ratchaburi (RTA)
19 February–5 March 2003
11,264
45,186
Lopburi (RTA)
10-27 March 2003
13,472
31,714
Chanthaburi (RTN)
18-23 April 2003
13,272
18,442
Lopburi (RTA)
10-24 April 2003
13,472
4,970
Total
71,480
4,970
* Includes 4,970 antipersonnel mines retained for training
A total of 4,970 antipersonnel mines have been kept for training and research
purposes, as permitted under Article 3 of the treaty. Initially, Thailand
proposed to keep 9,487 mines, but this number was reduced in November 2001. The
Armed Forces responsible for the retained mines include the Royal Thai Army
(3,000 antipersonnel mines), the Royal Thai Navy (1,000 mines), the Royal Thai
Air Force (600 mines), and the Thailand National Police Department Border Patrol
Sector (370 mines).[23] TMAC
stated that as of February 2003 none of the mines designated as retained for
training had been consumed, but also noted that any mines consumed for training
purposes could have been taken from stockpiles destined for
destruction.[24]
TMAC reports that all units have been briefed that Claymore mines are to be
used only in command-detonated mode; however, no physical modifications have
been undertaken to ensure use in command-detonated
mode.[25] Thailand did not
include information in its Article 7 reports on stockpiled Claymore mines.
Landmine Problem, Surveys and Assessments
The Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) completed in May
2001 found that the total area contaminated by mines covered more than
2,556,000,000square meters in 27 provinces along the Cambodia, Laos,
Burma, and Malaysia borders.[26]
A total of 531 communities were reported as affected, including 297 along the
Cambodian border. Most of the 934 mined areas are no longer marked, except
where active demining is
occurring.[27] The military
only possesses maps of some mined areas. Many civilians continue to take high
risks in their daily lives as they enter known mined areas to gather subsistence
food, collect firewood, and farm. Alternative job opportunities remain rare;
consequently, the pressure to use the land is high.
The final report of the Landmine Impact Survey conducted between September
2000 and May 2001 was not released until mid-2002, and did not reach Thailand
until October 2002.[28] The
distribution of the report has been very limited. The report is being
translated into Thai. Some slight differences between the results announced in
May 2001 and the final report can be
noted.[29]
Following the Landmine Impact Survey, TMAC, the United States Humanitarian
Demining Program (USHDP) and the General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation
conducted a brief survey, and checked some of the areas previously
surveyed.[30]
The Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) was installed at
TMAC in early 2001 and is fully operational. The LIS has been added to the
database and on-going analyses are being
performed.[31]
Coordination and Planning
The Thailand Mine Action Center is a temporary
agency under the Supreme Command of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, responsible for
the implementation of the National Mine Action Plan. It receives government
funds through the Supreme Command. TMAC cannot employ civilians directly, nor
does its staff come from other Ministries. Efforts have been made to obtain
support from other Ministries to provide for civilian demining teams, but so far
these efforts have been unsuccessful.
The National Mine Action Committee (NMAC) chaired by the Deputy Prime
Minister, General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, met for the first time on 18 December
2002.[32] The Committee is
authorized to stipulate policy, supervise operations, conduct national and
international public relations, advise the government, appoint subcommittees to
work on relevant matters and to coordinate with any government agencies
concerned.[33] At the 18
December meeting, the NMAC approved the “First Interim-Corrected and
Revised-Edition of the National Plan on Humanitarian Mine Action
2002-2006.”[34] The plan,
based on the results of the Landmine Impact Survey, identifies twenty strategic
priority areas. Priorities are established on the basis of civilian needs,
including access to schools, religious sites, agricultural land, and water
sources.[35]
Mine Action Funding and Assistance
In fiscal year 2002 (October 2001 - September
2002), TMAC received a total of Baht 32 million ($751,015) from the Royal Thai
Government (RTG) national budget for humanitarian mine
action.[36] A national budget
of Baht 35 million ($821,422) has been allocated to mine action for fiscal year
2003.
The RTG has also allocated a budget of 5 million Baht ($117,346) to the
Supreme Command for expenses related to the Fifth Meeting of States Parties. An
additional Baht500,000 ($11,734) for the event has been pledged by the Deputy
Prime Minister.[37]
US humanitarian demining assistance for Thailand totaled $801,000 in FY 2002.
This included $650,000 from the State Department for TMAC field operations; the
remainder enabled US military personnel to conduct two train-the-trainer
sessions.[38] In addition, TMAC
continued to use the SDTT-48 (Pearson) and TEMPEST machines for research and
development purposes under the auspices of the US Department of
Defense.[39]
For FY 2003, the US will not provide any direct financial assistance. The
Marshall Legacy Institute's Mine Detection Dog Partnership Program, established
by the US Department of State Office for Humanitarian Demining Programs, has
agreed to provide HMAU 3 with six additional trained mine detecting dogs. The
Royal Dutch Shell Group of Companies contributed $100,000 for the six
dogs.[40] In 2003, the US also
plans to donate a TEMPEST machine for an estimated cost of
$100,000.[41]
The US and Thailand are negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to
establish a humanitarian quick reaction demining team based in Thailand. This
team would be managed by a State Department-funded contractor and include
civilian deminers. If agreement on the MOU is reached, the team is expected to
do most of its demining work in Thailand, but would also be available for
overseas emergency missions at State Department
discretion.[42]
On 23 January 2002, the government of Canada officially donated a
Canadian-manufactured PROMAC (BDM 48) Brusher Deminer system and FIXOR
explosives to HMAU 1, for an estimated value of
$340,000.[43] Queens University
(Canada) and the Canada Centre for Mine Action Technologies (CCMAT), with
support from the Canadian government, jointly provided the “Niagara
Foot” for trial use by selected patients at the Aranyaprathet Hospital.
The total funding for this program is approximately
$67,000.[44]
The Japan Alliance for Humanitarian Demining Support (JAHDS) to Thailand,
with an annual budget of $438,888 (Baht18,782,212) from the Japanese government,
provided an advisor to the TMAC between March and October 2002. JAHDS
introduced the newly developed Ground Penetrating Radar mine detector
“Mine Eye” for use by the HMAUs and civilian
teams.[45] In March 2002, JAHDS
also donated two vehicles and 17 metal detectors to HMAU 3 using Baht3 million
($69,767) provided by the Tokyo Lions
Club.[46] In December 2002,
JAHDS began providing technical and administrative support to the civilian
demining team of the General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation operating at the
Thai/Cambodia border. This project is to be funded by the Japanese
government.[47]
Funds amounting to $400,000 provided by Japan in 2000 to the UN Voluntary
Trust Fund for Mine Action were all used during the 2002 calendar
year.[48]
The General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation provided Baht600,000 ($14,082) in
support for humanitarian demining training and clearance
activities.[49] Handicap
International-Thailand received Baht4,092,210 ($96,041) from the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in support of the project on “Mine
Risk Education aimed at Myanmar Refugees and the Thai Population along the
Thai-Myanmar Border.” Between July and October 2002, HI-Thailand’s
project on “Strengthening Comprehensive Mine Victim Assistance in
Thailand” was financed by UNDP with Baht491,494 ($11,535). The Australian
Agency for International Development (AusAID) provided Baht1,267,447 ($29,746)
to HI-Thailand, including Baht898,283 ($21,082) in 2002 for the three-year
project on “Community-based Mine Awareness and Victim Assistance” in
the Chanthaburi province, which ended in March
2003.[50] In 2002, the Thailand
Campaign to Ban Landmines completed a one-year survivor assistance program in
the Surin and Buriram provinces with support from the Canada Fund for Local
Initiatives amounting to Baht261,923
($6,147).[51] The Prosthetic
Foundation of Thailand under Royal Patronage received local donations of
Baht10,000,000
($234,692).[52]
Mine Clearance
In 2002, TMAC cleared a total of 368,351 square
meters of land, of which 213,921 square meters have been inspected and declared
mine free. A total of 44,800 square meters of land were handed over for
civilian use.[53] These
operations resulted in the destruction of 150 antipersonnel mines, five
antivehicle mines, and 189 pieces of unexploded ordnance
(UXO).[54]
From the beginning of demining in February 2000 through December 2002, TMAC
cleared 451,326 square meters of land, and removed 621 antipersonnel mines, six
antivehicle mines, and 624
UXO.[55] Between January and
March 2003, a total of 83,397 square meters of land were cleared, of which
22,400 square meters have been declared
safe.[56]
Mine clearance in 2002 was conducted under the Revised Master
Plan.[57] Humanitarian Mine
Action Unit (HMAU) 1 demined highly mine-affected forest areas to be used as
cropland, and also cleared an area around an ancient Khmer sanctuary. HMAU 2
cleared the area around a border market used for trading by both Thais and
Cambodians. HMAU 3 began clearing the area around a road bridge. The 44,800
square meters of cleared land handed over in the Sa Kaeo province has mainly
been used for agriculture and growing crops such as
tapioca.[58]
The TMAC structure includes the headquarters in Bangkok, four HMAUs, one
training center for deminers in Ratchaburi province, one training center for
mine risk education in Lopburi province, and one detecting dog training center
in Nakhon Ratchasima
province.[59] TMAC has a staff
of 311 people, including 18 in survey teams, 144 in detecting teams, 18 in
disposal teams, 24 in mine risk education teams and 107 in other positions.
TMAC also has 21 mine detecting dogs, 16 Global Positioning Systems, six
mechanical systems, 1 Brush Deminer, manual tools, and 93 mine
detectors.[60]
In October 2002, TMAC established HMAU 4, which consists of 14 trained
personnel, and is responsible for Petchabun, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, Nan,
Phayao, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Tak. Current plans call for
establishment of a fifth HMAU.[61]
In addition to the HMAUs, there is a TMAC-trained team of civilian deminers.
In January 2003, 14 civilian deminers were deployed to Sadok Kok Thom, Sa Kaeo
Province. The civilian demining team received financial support from the
General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation and the Japan Alliance for Humanitarian
Demining Support (JAHDS).[62]
TMAC was not able to achieve its aim of training two additional civilian
demining teams in the Sa Kaeo and Chanthaburi provinces by the end of 2002, as
it did not receive the requested Baht 1 million ($23,469) for the operation.
Mine Risk Education
In 2002, the four TMAC Humanitarian Mine Action
Units and two NGOs (Handicap International-Thailand and the Asian Disaster
Preparedness Center) conducted Mine Risk Education (MRE) activities in
mine-affected areas. The HMAUs conducted MRE activities for 45,273 villagers in
69 communities in the Trad, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani and Petchabun
provinces.[63] A total of 248
communities including 185,888 people have been reached since
2000.[64] Only HMAU 3 stated
that it had conducted an internal evaluation of its MRE
activities.[65]
On 28-29 November 2002, ADPC provided mine awareness training to 121
participants, mainly provincial government officials and teachers in the
Taphraya district of the Sa Kaeo province. Funding was provided by
international non-governmental
organizations.[66] On 5-6
February 2003, ADPC provided mine awareness training to 48 district officials
and teachers in the Khok Soong branch district of the Sa Kaeo
province.[67] ADPC has been
unable to expand the project to schools at the border due to lack of
funding.
In March 2003, HI completed a three-year Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)
and MRE project in the Chanthaburi province. In 2002, the program covered 6,870
people, including 6,300 community members, 420 primary school children, and 150
school children outside mine-risk
areas.[68]
In the western part of the country, along the Thai-Burma border area,
HI-Thailand completed a two-year survey on mine casualties at the Mae-Sot
district hospital in the Tak province. The survey indicated that 68 percent of
the casualties interviewed had not received mine risk education. The survey
provided a base for other MRE
activities.[69] Funding for the
project was provided by the
UNHCR.[70]
HI-Thailand also conducted an MRE evaluation in six Burmese refugee camps in
the Tak province.[71] Other MRE
activities included conducting training on MRE media/tool production for
students, the setting up of MRE committees and an MRE working group on
child-to-child activities, preparing information billboards and launching the No
Mine Day.[72] The MRE project
was temporarily halted in the Tak, Mae Hong Son and Ratchaburi provinces due to
tensions with Myanmar and security concerns. Later in the year HI-Thailand was
able to follow-up cases in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi, but
was unable to extend MRE activities to Thai villages affected in the Ma La
sub-district as planned.
Landmine Casualties
In 2002, there were at least 36 new mine
casualties reported in Thailand. However, there is no comprehensive nationwide
data collection mechanism in the country. The HMAUs 1-4 recorded 21 new
landmine casualties, two people killed and 19 injured, in the six Thai-Cambodia
border provinces, including Sa Kaeo, Buriram, Surin, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani,
and Chanthaburi.[73] The
injured included three Cambodian
nationals.[74] In another
incident in June 2002, a 45-year-old woman was injured by a landmine in Sa Kaeo
province; this incident was not recorded in the
database.[75] TMAC has no
information from other mine-affected areas where HMAUs are not operating. The
HMAU units collect reports on incidents and casualties and transmit the
information to the IMSMA database at TMAC. As of March 2003, the TMAC’s
HMAU reporting system was still not fully operational.
The Mae Sot hospital, on the Thai-Burma border, recorded 68 patients treated
for landmine injuries during 2002; 20 percent reported being injured on Thai
soil.[76]
Included in the casualties reported in 2002 is a deminer who was injured
during clearance operations in the None Din Daeng district of the Buriram
province, on the Thai-Cambodia border; he lost his right foot in the
accident.[77]
In February 2003, Mo Maelu, a 28-year-old elephant was injured by a landmine
near the border with Burma. Her left front foot was treated at the Elephant
Hospital in the Lampang
province.[78]
According to the results of the Landmine Impact Survey, between June 1998 and
May 2001, 346 new landmine casualties were recorded; 79 people were killed and
267 injured. Less recent casualties totaled 3,122 people, with 1,418 killed and
1,704 injured.[79]
Survivor Assistance
Medical and rehabilitation services in Thailand
are available in both state and privately owned hospitals and health care units,
functioning at the provincial, district, and community
levels.[80] Generally,
assistance available to landmine survivors is adequate; however, most come from
poor farming families who can experience difficulties coping with the costs of
care and rehabilitation.
TMAC has a mandate to coordinate victim assistance in Thailand. In 2002,
TMAC assisted 17 landmine survivors in the Thai-Cambodian border provinces by
facilitating transfers to hospitals and by supporting training programs on the
production and repair of
prostheses.[81] At the Standing
Committee meetings in February 2003, it was reported that TMAC had recently
conducted two training courses on mine victim assistance and MRE in Sri Sa Ket
and Buriram provinces in northeastern
Thailand.[82]
Landmine Monitor received 17 responses to a questionnaire on survivor
assistance sent to 67 district and regional hospitals, and other relevant
organizations in mine-affected areas. Only a few hospitals were able to provide
figures on the number of mine survivors treated, due to the lack of a specific
landmine casualty data collection system; 16 public hospitals and rehabilitation
centers reported treating 251 landmine survivors in 2002, providing medical care
and walking aids.[83]
In 2002, the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Center provided 314
artificial limbs and 167 braces for persons with disabilities; it is not known
if any were for mine
survivors.[84]
The Prosthetic Foundation, under the royal patronage of the late H.R.H.
Princess Mother Sri Nagarindhra, continued to provide mobile prosthetic services
in remote provinces in 2002: 1,155 free prostheses and 253 pairs of crutches
were provided to 1,043 beneficiaries, including 209 landmine survivors. In
2003, the program plans to establish seven mobile units in six different Thai
provinces and in Malaysia.[85]
One of the biggest mobile units was established in March 2003 on the occasion of
the 80th Birthday of Princess Galyani Wadhana, the King’s
Sister. In May 2003, the Prosthetic Foundation plans to open a newly built
workshop in Chiang Mai province. The workshop, employing 12 technicians, will
produce artificial limbs from local raw materials. The products are expected to
meet the standards of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics
(ISPO). Training programs on the production of above-knee prostheses will begin
in June 2003. The Official Opening is scheduled for October
2003.[86]
Handicap International has opened fifteen orthopedic workshops in Thai
provincial hospitals since 1982. Since 1985, HI has operated community-based
rehabilitation, and orthopedic workshops, in refugee camps along the Thai/Burma
border to assist all persons with disabilities including landmine survivors.
Refugee technicians are trained in the production of prostheses. HI’s
program also includes the distribution of wheelchairs and vocational training.
In 2002, 137 prostheses were provided in seven refugee camps; 54 were for new
amputees.[87]
The HI Cambodian Border Program in the Chanthaburi province supported the
training of technicians, who are landmine survivors and the setting up of a
workshop for fitting and repairing prosthetics. Thirteen prostheses and thirty
artificial feet were produced in
2002.[88] The workshop can
serve 40 landmine survivors and other amputees residing in two sub-districts of
Thep Nimit and Khlong Yai in Pongnamron
district.[89]
The Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) began raising
funds in December 2001 for a scholarship program for the children of landmine
survivors in the Sa Kaeo province. In mid-2002, Baht 1,000,000 (US$23,469) was
used for school and sports uniforms, stationery, expenses for special
activities/field trips, and in some cases, house repairs and transport; about
200 children were
assisted.[90]
The Niagara Foot project, funded by the Canadian government, has been testing
a new prosthesis in the prosthetics unit of the Aranyaprathet hospital in Sa
Kaeo province. Plans to extend the project are currently being evaluated. The
budget for development and clinical trials is around
US$67,000.[91]
In 2002, the TCBL conducted a one-year project in the Surin and Buriram
provinces, which included community-based survivor assistance, empowerment, mine
awareness, and the setting up of a small revolving loan fund; around 50 families
were assisted. The landmine survivor database, which should complement the TMAC
national incident database, has not been established due to the lack of
appropriate staff. The TCBL collected data on 120 landmine survivors; however,
the information needs further
verification.[92]
HI-Thailand conducted a “Strengthening Comprehensive Mine Victim
Assistance in Thailand” Project from July to October 2002. A major
component of the project was a national seminar on “A Comprehensive Mine
Victim Assistance Model (Chanthaburi Experience),” held in Bangkok on 17
October 2002; 90 representatives from government and non-governmental
organizations and landmine survivors participated. A comprehensive model for
victim assistance was designed and proposed to policy makers in the ministries
concerned. The project was financed in part with a fund provided to TMAC by the
government of Japan through the UNDP in
2001.[93] The project was
carried out in line with recommendations from the Regional Conference on Victim
Assistance held in Bangkok in November 2001.
Thailand has not completed a national plan of action for mine survivor
assistance as recommended by the November 2001 regional
conference.[94]
Landmine survivors from Burma seeking assistance in Thailand receive medical
care from hospitals in refugee camps and public district hospitals in the
Thai/Burma border provinces, including Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and
Chumporn. Most of the landmine casualties are
amputees.[95]The Mae
Sot hospital recorded 68 patients treated for landmine injuries during 2002; 80
percent were from Burma.[96]
Some Burmese landmine survivors in Thailand are not eligible for the official
assistance offered by international organizations if they are not accepted into
an organized refugee camp. Since April 2001, the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand,
which specializes in assisting Burmese migrants, has run a prosthetics ward. In
2002, it provided 150 free prostheses; 74 percent were for landmine survivors
from four border-states in Burma. The prosthetics section was funded by Clear
Path International in 2002.[97]
Disability Policy and Practice
A national disability law has been in force since
1991.[98] The year 2002 was
dedicated to the promotion of occupations for persons with disabilities (PWDs)
with a national budget of Baht 7 million ($164,285). The National Office for
the Rehabilitation of PWDs and provincial public welfare offices have received
funding applications for
projects.[99]
In May 2002, the national committee in charge of monitoring and coordinating
health care policies for PWDs appointed the Sirindhorn National Medical
Rehabilitation Center as the main coordinating organization for the medical care
of PWDs. The committee also proposed facilities for PWDs in health care
institutions and Public Health Ministry offices, and drafted a Benefit Package,
health care service standards, and employment promotion policies for disabled
persons, as well as setting up a hotline on PWD health
issues.[100]
In October 2002, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra chaired a meeting entitled
“Upgrading the Quality of Life for Persons with Disabilities: Integrated
Planning to Practice.” The meeting formulated strategies for all the
ministries concerned.[101]
In November 2002, the Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD)
was registered as a non-profit organization in the Pathumthani province. The
APD aims to support action on behalf of people with physical disabilities.
Other objectives include the promotion of education, occupation, rehabilitation
and coordination of PWDs in rural and urban areas. The APD also intends to
raise public awareness on disability issues and to coordinate with other PWD
associations at a provincial and national
level.[102]
The International Day of Disabled Persons was celebrated with 18 different
events on various dates from 6 November to 3 December 2002. The celebrations
also marked the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association
of the Physically Handicapped of
Thailand.[103]
In 2002, HI Thailand also celebrated the 20th anniversary of its
assistance program under the title of “20 Years of Action on behalf of
People with
Disabilities.”[104]
Four Thai landmine survivors participated in the Raising the Voice program
held during the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February 2003.
Thailand submitted a voluntary Form J attachment to its most recent Article 7
report with information on their activities in support of mine survivors in
2002.[105]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 April
2003. This cites “The Office of the Prime Minister Regulations Governing
the Implementation of the Convention. B.E. 2545 (2002) (Draft)” and also
“The Office of the Prime Minister Regulations Governing the Receipt,
Keeping and Sending of Aid Monies or Aid Goods Given for the Purpose of
Conducting Activities Concerning Mines. B.E. 2545 (2002) (Draft).” Also,
interview with Phairoj Vikiniyatanee, Director of the Political Division,
International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok, 10
January 2003. [2] Interview with Phairoj
Vikiniyatanee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok, 10 January
2003. [3] Cabinet Resolution of 28 April
2003,
http://www.cabinet.thaigov.go.th/cc_main21.htm
(accessed 10 June 2003). [4] Order of
the Organizing Committee of the Fifth Meeting of the States Parties to the
Ottawa Convention, No. 24/2546, dated 29 March 2003. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is
also chair of the National Mine Action
Committee. [5] Currency exchange rate:
US$1= 42.609 Baht, used throughout this
report. [6] Bangkok Post, 28 January
2003, p. 9. [7] Minutes of the
TCBL/MOFA/NGO meeting of the humanitarian mine action committee, 18 October
2002, pp. 1-2. [8] BRAG was formed at
the Fourth Meeting of States Parties. Its participants now include: Australia,
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway,
Philippines, Thailand, and Timor
Leste. [9] Atchara Suyanan,
Director-General, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Presentation to the Standing Committee on the General Status and
Operation of the Convention, Geneva, Switzerland, 3 February
2003. [10]
Ibid. [11] Thailand's intervention in
the Conference on Disarmament, 27 February
2003. [12] Interview with Phairoj
Vikiniyatanee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok, 10 January
2003. [13] A number of sources have
identified Thailand as a past producer. For details see Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 376. [14] Telephone Interview
with Col. Surapon Suwanawong, Assistant Director of TMAC (Operations), Bangkok,
26 March 2002. [15] Telephone interview
with Police Maj. Charoen Thammakhan, Chief Investigator in charge of the case,
Songkhla District Police Station, Songkhla Province, 6 January 2003. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
484. [16] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 484. The allegations were made by the rebel groups in interviews in
November 2001. [17] Bill Bainbridge and
Lon Nora, “Thai border guards set 'mine trap' for Cambodians,” Phnom
Penh Post (Cambodia), 23 November 2002. Other reports on the incident at the
time it occurred in October made no mention of landmines. “Car Smuggling
across border leaves 7 dead and 5 injured,” Chai Daen (Aranyaprathet Thai
language newspaper), 16-31 October 2002; “Border patrol police kill 7
Cambodian car smugglers,” The Thai Rath Daily (in Thai language), 3
October 2002, p. 1. [18] Letter to
Emilie Ketudat, TCBL Coordinator from Atchara Suyanan, Director-General
Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 June
2003. The letter provided the detailed findings of the investigation, stating
that five smugglers were killed in a firefight. The investigation was carried
out by the Supreme Command Joint Operations Center 101, which is in charge of
Cambodian-Thai border operations. Meeting with MG Gitti Suksomstarn, Director
General, TMAC, Bangkok, 17 January
2003. [19] Response to Landmine Monitor
by Col. Surapon Suwanawong, Assistant Director Operations, TMAC, 24 January
2003. [20] Presentation by Thailand at
the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 May
2003. [21] TMAC, Monthly Activity
Report, December 2002, p. 2. This includes 120,000 in calendar year 2002. Of
the total, 48,688 were destroyed in an accidental blast on 25 October 2001 at
the Pak Chong Arsenal. [22] Response to
Landmine Monitor by TMAC, 24 January
2003. [23] Ibid; Article 7 Report, 30
April 2003. [24] TMAC official in charge
of Stockpile Destruction, in response to LM2003 questions on Explosive Ordnance
Destruction areas, Ratchaburi province, 25 February
2003. [25] Response to Landmine Monitor
by TMAC, 24 January 2003. [26] Landmine
Impact Survey - Kingdom of Thailand, certified by the United Nations
Certification Committee, completed in May 2001 and released in mid-2002. A
summary of the LIS is contained in Thailand’s Article 7 report, Form C, 30
April 2003. For more details on the survey and the landmine problem, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
486-487. [27] Report by Suthikiet
Sopanik, Director of the General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation, to a TCBL
meeting, 13 March 2003. Thailand’s April 2003 Article 7 report notes that
in February 2002, HMAU 1 and 3 posted warning signs at Tambon None Din Dang,
Buri Ram province and in May 2002 HMAU 1 posted signs over 26,840 square meters
of Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, Sa Kaeo province, while HMAU 2 posted signs in Ban Kod Sai,
Trat province and Ban Pak Kad, Chanthaburi
province. [28] Telephone interview with
Deputy Director, UN Development Program (UNDP), Bangkok, 9 January 2003. The
LIS was conducted by Norwegian People's Aid, under contract to the Survey Action
Center, and TMAC. The Survey Action Center/Vietnam Veterans of America
Foundation had responsibility for editing and publishing the
report. [29] For example, with regard to
the Cambodian border, the final report states that there are 297 affected
communities, not 295 as announced in May 2001; 2,601 victims, not 2,605; 473
contaminated areas, not 457; and 1,943.6 square kilometers affected, not
1,823. [30] Telephone interview with
Dave McCracken, TMAC/USHDP Thailand, Bangkok, 8 January
2003. [31] Progress Report TMAC/UNDP
Project TH/99/008, 20 August - 31 December
2001. [32] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p.485. The committee was first established in February 2000, but never
met. [33] Prime Minister’s Office,
Order No. 195/2545, on “Appointment of the National Mine Action
Committee,” 28 June 2002. [34]
Interview with Gitti Suksomstarn, Director General, and Assistant Director,
TMAC, Bangkok, 17 January 2003. [35]
TMAC, “First Interim - Corrected and Revised - Edition of the National
Plan on Humanitarian Mine Action 2002-2006,” 26 December 2001, Addendum on
the “Priority Ranking of High Impact Minefields to be Cleared,”
Chapter 12, p. 4 (in Thai), February
2002. [36] Information published by the
TMAC and confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 8 January
2003. [37] TMAC, Summary of the Report
of the First Meeting of the National Mine Action Committee, at the National
Security Council, Bangkok, 18 December
2002. [38] US Department of State,
“To Walk the Earth in Safety,” September 2002, p.
30. [39] Email from George P. Kent,
Second Secretary, Political Section, US Embassy Bangkok, 11 March
2003. [40] Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.,
Special Representative of the US President and Assistant Secretary of State for
Mine Action, Remarks on Contribution for Mine Detecting Dogs, at the Residence
of the Ambassador of the Royal Thai Government, Washington, DC, 14 March 2003,
Embassy of the United States PR #010/03, 14 March
2003. [41] Email from George P. Kent, US
Embassy in Thailand, 11 March 2003. [42]
Ibid. [43] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 489. [44] Telephone interview
with Alexander Lévêque, Canadian Embassy, Bangkok, 24 January
2003. [45] Response by Capt. Wataru
Sugaya, General Manager of Asia Operations, JAHDS, to LM questionnaire, Bangkok,
13 January 2003. [46] Email response by
Wataru Sugaya, General Manager of Asia Operations, JAHDS, 16 January
2003. [47]
Ibid. [48] TMAC/UNDP Project Steering
Committee report by Maj. Gen. Gitti Suksomstarn, Director of TMAC, 15 January
2003. [49] Report by Suthikiet Sopanik,
Director of General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation, in a TCBL Meeting, Bangkok,
13 March 2003. [50] Email from Shushira
Chonhenchob, Handicap International-Thailand, Bangkok, 18 March
2003. [51] TCBL, “Summary End of
Project Report to Canada Fund,” 23 December
2002. [52] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire from Wikanda Phitak, Public Relations Officer, Prosthetic
Foundation, Chiang Mai Province, 24 February
2003. [53] Fax from TMAC, “Summary
of Operation of Humanitarian Mine Action Units, January-December 2002,” 24
March 2003. [54] Article 7 Report, Form
G, 30 April 2003. TMAC has provided somewhat different figures: destruction of
153 antipersonnel mines, two antivehicle mines, and 136 UXO. Fax from TMAC,
“Summary of Operation of Humanitarian Mine Action Units, January-December
2002,” 24 March 2003. [55] Fax
from TMAC Database Office, Bangkok, 19 May 2003. These figures apparently do
not include the emergency ordnance clearance operations that occurred following
the October 2001 explosions at Nong Sarai Army Arsenal in Pak Chong. As
reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2002 (p. 487), those operations cleared
4,125,350 square meters of land. [56]
Fax from TMAC Database Office, Bangkok, 19 May
2003. [57] Telephone interview with Col.
Surapon Suwanawong, TMAC Assistant Director, 27 March
2003. [58] Visit to Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, of
Kulachart Daengdej, Sa Kaeo province, 8 October
2002. [59] TMAC, “First Interim
Corrected and Revised Edition of the National Mine Action Master Plan
2002-2006,” Addendum on Corporate Plan on Mine Action, Chapter 17.4 (in
Thai), February 2002. [60] Fax from TMAC
Database Office, Bangkok, 19 May
2003. [61] Interview with the Director
and Assistant Director of TMAC, 17 January 2003; Working Paper prepared for the
National Mine Action Committee (in Thai), 18 December 2002; Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 488. [62] Interview with
Suthikiet Sopanik, Director of General Chatichai Choonhavan Foundation, Bangkok,
13 March 2003. [63] Fax from the TMAC,
“Summary of Operation of Humanitarian Mine Action Units, January-December
2002,” 24 March 2003. [64] TMAC
response to LM questions, received on 24 January
2003. [65] Telephone interviews with
officials of HMAUs 1, 2, and 3, 28 March
2003. [66] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Sirikarn Kahattha, Government Relations Coordinator, Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center, 3 January
2003. [67] Report by Sirikarn Kahattha
at a TCBL Meeting, Bangkok, 13 March
2003. [68] Supotch Boontem, Cambodian
Border Programme Manager, HI-Thailand, “Questionnaire on Mine
Awareness/Risk Education 2002,” 24 March 2003; HI-Thailand, Annual Report
2002, Bangkok, pp. 9-10. [69]
HI-Thailand, “Mine Casualties Survey Report, Mae-Sot District Hospital,
Tak Province, January 2001-December 2002” (to be published in
2003). [70] Email from Shushira
Chonhenchob, HI-Thailand, Bangkok, 18 March
2003. [71] HI-Thailand, Annual Report
2002, Bangkok, pp.13-14; Pitchapha Naktung, Information Officer, Burmese Border
Programme, HI-Thailand, “January-June 2002 Report,” published in
2003. Refugee camps included Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae Kong Kha, Don Yang, Camp 2
and Camp 3 and Tham Hin. [72] Pitchapha
Naktung, Information Officer, Burmese Border Programme, HI-Thailand,
“January-June 2002 Report,” published in
2003. [73] Response to Landmine Monitor
by TMAC, 24 January 2003. [74]
Ibid. [75] Information provided by
Wiboonrat Chanchoo, a mine survivor living in Sa Kaeo province, to
TCBL. [76] Email to Landmine Monitor
researcher for Burma from HI-Thailand, December 2002. The remaining 80 percent
were injured on the Burma side of the
border. [77] Response to Landmine
Monitor by TMAC, 24 January 2003. [78]
“Walking wounded,” Photo with Caption, The Nation, 18 February 2003,
p. 4A. [79] Landmine Impact Survey:
Kingdom of Thailand, p. 18. [80] For
more details see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
443. [81] TMAC, Monthly Activity
Reports, January-December 2002. [82]
Statement by Thailand to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 4 February
2003. [83] Responses to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by 16 hospitals and
HI-Thailand. [84] Response to Landmine
Monitor questionnaire by Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Center, 28
January 2003. [85] Response to Landmine
Monitor questionnaire by Wikanda Phitak, Public Relations Officer, Prosthetic
Foundation, Chiang Mai Province, 24 February
2003. [86] Telephone interview with
Associate Professor Therdchai Jivacate, MD, Secretary-General, Prosthetic
Foundation, Chiang Mai Province, 17 March
2003. [87] Email to Landmine Monitor
researcher for Burma (Myanmar) from HI-Thailand, 6 May 2003.
[88] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by Supotch Boontem, Cambodian Border Program Manager, Handicap
International, 24 March 2003. [89]
Interview with Chusak Sae-Lee, landmine survivor and technician, trained by HI,
Pongnamron, Chanthaburi province, 27 February 2003; fax from HI Chanthaburi, 8
January 2003. [90] Telephone interview
with Charatkorn Mankhatitham, Operations Manager, Catholic Office for Emergency
Relief and Refugees, Bangkok, 18 March
2003. [91] Telephone interview with
Alexander Lévêque, Canadian Embassy, Bangkok, 24 January 2003;
email dated 29 May 2003. [92] TCBL,
“Summary End of Project Report to Canada Fund,” 23 December
2002. [93] HI-Thailand, Summary Report
on “Strengthening Comprehensive Mine Victim Assistance in Thailand”
Project, 27 February 2003. [94] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
494. [95] HI-Thailand, “Mine
Casualties Survey Report, Mae Sot District Hospital, Tak Province, January
2001-December 2002” (to be published in
2003). [96] Email to Landmine Monitor
researcher for Burma (Myanmar) from HI-Thailand, December
2002. [97] Interview with Dr. Cynthia
Maung, Director, Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, by Landmine Monitor researcher for
Burma (Myanmar), 21 March 2003. Clear Path International provided $22,250 in
2002 for the provision of prosthetics, the apprenticeship program, and for the
construction of a hostel for
amputees. [98] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 491. [99] For more
details, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
494. [100] Council of Disabled People of
Thailand, Newsletter, July-August 2002,
p.12. [101] Council of Disabled People
of Thailand, Newsletter, November-December 2002, pp.1,
3-5. [102] Letter from Maj. Sirichai
Sapsiri, President, Association of Persons with Physical Disability, 21 January
2003. [103] Council of Disabled People
of Thailand, Newsletter, November-December 2002, pp.
8-12. [104] HI-Thailand,
“Partnership to Sustainability” Booklet on 20th Anniversary
(1999-present), 2002. [105] Article 7
Report, Form J, April 2003.
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