More than 800,000 mines removed since 2022, says demining organisation

• In the Muhamalai area alone, there were 369,015 live land mines, including those targetting vehicles

By Dayaratne Embogama   

More than 878,700 land mines and live ammunition buried by the LTTE have been removed by the SHARP organisation since 2022, the Managing Director of the organisation Army Captain Prabhath Narampanawa (Rtd) told the media yesterday.    

“In the Muhamalai area alone, there were 369,015 live land mines, including those targetting vehicles. 111,193,280 live ammunition rounds had been removed according to statistics of the National Demining Centre of the Urban Development, Housing and Constructions Ministry,” he said.   

He said the Geneva International Centre of Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) had planned the de-mining project which is to continue till 2027.   

He said the LTTE had buried landmines targetting mainly the Security Forces in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Ampara, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts and that the de-mining programme had been undertaken by the Sri Lankan Army and the SHARP organization with the help of several international organisations.