COMMENTARY: Isn’t Border Fighting Delays Mine Clearance?

COMMENTARY: Isn’t Border Fighting Delays Mine Clearance?

AKP Phnom Penh, May 25, 2011 –
I am so disturbed by the article in the Bangkok Post, published on May 16, 2011 entitled “Border fighting delays mine clearance”, stated that Border disputes and problems with ill-defined boundaries have delayed mine clearance operations, according to a report of the Thailand Mine Action Centre (TMAC) of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Command.
Bangkok Post quoted from TMAC’s report that “of a total of 3.63 million square metres of mine-infested areas set to be cleared from October 2010 to March this year, the TMAC was able to clear land mines, particularly the anti-personnel mines, from only 1.55 million square metres, leaving an area of about 2.07 million square metres still unsafe.”
Logic or Rational?
According to the report provided by TMAC to Landmine Monitor of the International Campaign to Ban Landmine (ICBL) on October 18, 2010 that Thailand conducted manual clearance which achieved 2.55km2 in 2009, though Thailand claimed that their achievement attained 70% more than in the previous year of 2008.
However, by far Thailand was short of the targets set out by them, under the Article 5 of the Mine Ban Convention “Extension Request”, submitted in August 2008, which called for demining of 43km2 or 43,000,000m² in year 2009.
In 2010, Thailand has set their targets, again under the extension request, to clear 43,280,768 m².
Logically if one could make an elementary arithmetic calculation one must come with the exact number of 21,640,384m² or 24.6 km² not 3,630,000m², from October 2010 to March 2011 as stated in the report?
The Article 5 of Mine Ban Convention stated that “Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel mines as soon as possible, but no later than 10 years…If a State Party cannot destroy all anti-personnel mines within that time period, it may request the Meeting of States Parties for an extension for a period of up to 10 years…”
Thailand has signed the Treaty at the same time with Cambodia in Ottawa on December 3, 1997. Thailand and Cambodia are under the obligation to comply with the rules and regulation as set in the Convention.
Thailand has established a national demining agency in 1999 called Thailand Mine Action Center or TMAC which ran under the umbrella of the ministry of national defense.
Unlike Thailand, Cambodia was brokered by the Paris Peace Accords to end decades of wars in the country. In order to repatriate the refugees and the IDPs, the UN forces assisted Cambodia first with mine clearance, thus to establish “Cambodian Mine Action Center –known as CMAC” in 1992.
Dozens of countries had sent their military experts to Cambodia to help train thousands of Cambodian ex-soldiers in the demining skills. International demining organizations also entered the then war-torn country to assist in demining operations such as the HALO Trust, MAG and NPA.
Though Cambodia remains one of the most affected countries by anti-personnel mines, but surmounted by incredible achievements. Almost a million of APM have been cleared and destroyed; hundreds of thousands of hectares of safe lands have been released to landless poor villagers to become their farmlands and tens of thousands of refugees and IDPs have been safely returned and settled…
However nowadays poor Cambodian villagers yet continue to suffer due to the violation of the principle of the international law set by the International Court of Justice in 1962, in which the Court has already recognized the map and the frontier line established by 1904 and 1907 Franco-Siamese Mixed Commissions.
In February 2011, the world still hears the cries of many thousands of those who were peacefully settled “are decades of suffering not enough?” Unlike the cries foul from other side of the international border-line, quote: “Border fighting delays mine clearance?!” unquote.
What are the real facts?
The Cambodian warring factions (KPNLF, FUNCINPEC and the DK) forces at that time (1979 till 1998) used the border territories to fight. Obviously, Thailand would not allow even a centimeter of their land to be used by those factions.
To protect their encampments, those factions used anti-personnel land mines, which were still littered everywhere inside the country and hundred kilometers along the border, indeed inside their territories. Therefore, Cambodia has been recognized by the world that decades of wars “inside” the country had left millions of landmines which still continue to claim limbs and lives of innocent Cambodian villagers.
So, what are then the real facts for the delay of demining operations inside Thailand?
Through the Level I Survey (LIS), Thailand claimed that they have been affected by 2,557km2 areas. With their “land release” methods Thailand enabled to release about 1,239.18km2 within 5 years (2005-2009); among which in years 2008 and 2009 combined they have declared 1,148.20km2 areas released to the productive use. However, in their 2009 report, Thailand could clear only 2.54 km2 of “real minefield”, and found and destroyed only 3,400 anti-personnel mines.
What does that means? Is Thailand a real affected country by landmines, or Thailand used to use their own mines to protect the Khmer rebels in some areas from intruding their own territories? Eventually, if Thailand a real affected country why don’t they pour more money to demine themselves, no need to beg for funds from the international community, as Thailand has insisted that it is a donor! Had Thailand spared her wealth by demining just 2 or km2 of “real minefield” per year, it would take 200 years to demine. What is really behind these scenes?
By Sam Sotha
(The comments are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Government of Cambodia.)
About the Author: Mr. Sam Sotha is a former Ambassador for Mine Action, Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), Cluster Munitions and Disarmament. He is currently served as Advisor to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers. He is also the author of the book entitled “IN THE SHADE of A Quiet killing Place”, his Personal Memoir. About the book, go to: Web site: http://www.heavenlakepress.com