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Monday, December 28, 2009 - 5.11 GMT |
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Indian experts
assist de-mining |
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An
Indian
de-mining
team is
assisting
the
government
to rid
the
North of
landmines
and
other
improvised
explosive
devices
laid by
the LTTE.
Maj K
Raju and
his team
of
de-miners
from the
Swiss
Foundation
for Mine
Action (FSD)
started
work in
the Rice
Bowl
area in
Mannar
and
gradually
worked
their
way to
Periyathampanai
and
Pannivirichchan
in
Vavuniya
district.
The
total
number
of
landmines
in the
North is
officially
estimated
to be
1.5
million.
FSD had
removed
4,589
anti-personnel
mines
and 12
anti-tank
mines so
far.
“The
LTTE’s
mines
have 30
to 60
gms of
explosive.
A normal
mine
will
have up
to 30
gms. In
Mannar,
we found
a house
with 180
mines in
it! The
LTTE had
apparently
expected
government
troops
to enter
the
house in
large
numbers,”
Maj K
Raju of
Swiss
Foundation
for Mine
Action
said.
The
mines
and
other
IEDs
used by
the LTTE
are
locally
made.
“We were
familiar
with the
LTTE’s
Jonny
mines.
But this
time we
found
mines
carrying
the
inscription
Maj
Ilavazhuthi
on them.
Perhaps,
Ilavazhuthi
was the
designer
of the
new
mine,”
the
Indian
de-miner
said.
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