HDU to hire more deminers next year

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 December 2003, 15:57 GMT]
The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) said Friday that in order to expedite the demining in the Vellaveli division in Batticaloa, it would support the hiring of 50 more deminers by the Humanitarian Demining Unit (HDU).

Meanwhile, demining at the Palaiyadivaddai village in Vellaveli, begun on November 29, has been stopped as the 45 deminers of the HDU, who are part of the Mine Action Group (MAG) and are supported by the TRO, will take a vacation during the festive Christmas and New Year season. The work will restart on January 6, the HDU said.

According to the TRO, the new deminers will be recruited and given training before engaging them in field work.

In the Vellaveli region, a sizable amount of mines and booby traps have been removed.On Thursday, on information received from the public, the deminers found several 40 mm shells at Kosgolla in Pullumalai, on the Senkalady-Badulla road, and destroyed them.