On 30 November 2017, ARMAC hosted a meeting with the Humanitarian Mine Action Initiative Myanmar and Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Cambodia, at the ARMAC Permanent Secretariat.

Mr. U Tant Zin, President of HMAI, explained that over half of Myanmar’s land area is contaminated with the landmines/ERW, with 44% of the contamination being UXO, anti-vehicle and antipersonnel mines, and 56% being unknown types. Based on the data collected from the Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU), the civilian landmine casualties include men (61%), women (4%), and children (4%), and details of 31% of victims are unknown. Mr. Aksel Steen Nilsen added that the use of landmines is still quite high in Myanmar.

Among 5 (five) core components of mine action, NGOs in Myanmar have implemented programmes for 2 (two) components, mine risk education and victim assistance. NGOs such as NPA, HaloTrust, and MAG have been overseeing these mine action initiatives in Myanmar.

It is necessary to support the mine clearance in Myanmar considering the existing high contamination in the country. ARMAC will conduct a survey to further identify the actual needs and challenges faced by the affected ASEAN Member States, as well as to assess the available resources required to elevate mine action in the affected states.

(ARMAC 30 November)