Jaffna APLMs mostly Chinese and Pakistan made

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 1999, 19:56 GMT]
Ninety nine percent of the anti-personnel land mines detected and removed by the UNDP so far in Jaffna were made in Pakistan and China said sources in the north today.

Most of the APLMs were found in the Jaffna medical college grounds and in the environs of the Jaffna technical college.

About three hundred mines have been removed by the UNDP team since started work in the peninsula two months ago said Elmo Ratnarajah, the government official co-ordinating the UNDP's program in Jaffna.

According to the sources only a few dud Jony mines were found in these places. Their batteries had for long disintegrated.

The UNDP team has identified areas in Irupalai, Neervely, Puththur, Mallakam, Tellipalai (near the Thurkkai Amman temple) Erlaalai and Chunnakam where APLMs lie in the ground. Work is yet to begin in Ariyalai and Nayanmar Kattu the sources said.

There are a large number of mines in the Kopay sector where more than three thousand cattle have been killed and maimed by APLMs the sources added.

Twenty five cattle were killed by the mines last week alone. The SLA has not given clearance to the UNDP for identifying mined areas in the Vasavilan sector according to the sources.

However, the SLA had permitted civilians to resettle in a village in this sector called Kuttiyapulam. A boy from this village lost his leg in an APLM blast recently.

Meanwehile, according to medical workers the Jaipur artificial leg centre in Jaffna has fitted 1007 persons with prostheses in Jaffna since 1987. Of these 112 had lost their limbs due to bombing.