By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Japan has pledged to continue its assistance towards implementing Sri Lanka’s demining programme in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mizukoshi Hideaki signed the grant contracts of two demining projects under the scheme of “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.”
The agreements were signed with Mines Advisory Group and HALO Trust.
The Government of Japan has provided a total sum of US$ 729,925 (approx. Rs. 238 million) for these two projects with MAG and the HALO Trust to extend its support for humanitarian demining activities in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.
Japan has been a major donor in demining activities in Sri Lanka since 2002, and the total amount of assistance exceeds US$ 44 million.
It is expected that these projects by MAG and HALO will together contribute to resettlement and livelihood support for a total of 10,977 IDPs (internally displaced people) in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
The development of the conflict-affected areas is one of the priority areas of Japan’s official development assistance policy to Sri Lanka.
Ambassador Mizukoshi strongly reiterated that the Government of Japan has been committing its role as a leading donor in demining activities and will continue to provide the necessary support to achieve “Mine-Impact-Free Sri Lanka.”
Following the conclusion of Sri Lanka’s 30-year war in 2009, approximately 1.6 million landmines remained buried in the ground, unmarked and largely unrecorded, causing extensive internal displacement in the Northern Province and other areas.
The Sri Lanka Director of the National Mine Action Centre (NMAC) and the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, W.S. Sathyananda, highlighted the achievements of Sri Lanka’s mine action programme, which was established in 2002 and continued until 2023.
He revealed that a total of 202 square kilometres of land had been declared free of anti-personnel mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), allowing local communities to resume their day-to-day activities.
Furthermore, the programme successfully destroyed over 843,000 Anti-Personnel mines and 360,700 Unexploded Ordnances (UXOs), ensuring the safety of the population in affected areas.
He noted that presently, 15.44 square kilometres of heavily contaminated hazardous areas remain uncleared and they are in very close proximity to population centres.
Japan, one of the top donors for demining, has been offering its generous support for demining and other development activities among other countries that also support Sri Lanka.
Japan is the major, longest-supporting donor in the area of mine clearance in Sri Lanka since 2002, assisting all the four demining agencies presently operating in Sri Lanka and so far.
Japan has offered USD 43.3 million in assistance rendered for demining activities through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project, noted the NMAC Director.
