The US Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Mr. Fredrick Barton attended a press conference in Loikaw for discussions on conflict resolution and landmine education during his first trip to Kayah state in Myanmar. Mr. Barton was accompanied by US Ambassador Derek Mitchell during the visit to the Kayah's state capital city. Both US politicians met with Kayah State Minister Khin Maung Oo for frank discussions about assistance for landmine victims, the peace process and other items related to development of the state.
Aside from meeting with government officials, Barton and Mitchell also met with representatives from various ethnic armed groups, members of civil society organizations and university students. After, they attended a landmine-victim assistance workshop. According to the Karenni Progressive Party’s News Information Group during the March 20 meeting five different armed groups agreed to co-operate with foreign agencies to help reduce the threat of landmines.
Minefields are scattered throughout the country in areas where there has been decades of fighting between ethnic armed groups and the government. These include: Kayah, Karen, Chin, Kachin, Chin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan states, but landmines can also be found in Bago and Tanintharyi Regions.
During meeting last week, the US assistant secretary pledged to continue providing financial support and technical assistance for landmine eradication. Currently, incentives directed towards clearing the country’s many landmines are being implemented by the US and several European countries - primarily Norway and Luxembourg - and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
Myanmar ranks high of the countries in the world with landmines. According to ICBL, the country has ranked third globally in the highest number of landmine casualties for the last 5 years, surpassed only by Afghanistan and Colombia.
Ongoing fighting between government forces and ethnic armed groups in Kachin and northern Shan states is increasing the risk of civilian landmine casualties. According to UN estimates about 75,000 civilians have been displaced by the fighting – Kachin civil society groups have counted 150,000 people displaced.
According to ICBL there have been at least 3,000 landmine victims since 1999, and an estimated 2,325 casualties between 1999 and 2008. It is estimated that out of Myanmar 14 states and divisions, 10 have landmines. In 2008, there were more than 720 deaths resulting from landmines - fifty percent are civilians, including many children. The number of amputees in the country is 12,000 of which the majority are mine victims, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The country is still lacking sufficient programs for landmine awareness, rehabilitation of landmine victims, and mine clearance in the affected areas. A spokesperson for the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) commented that “this is a difficult issue to solve, but requires necessary action in order for peace to be established within the country.”
