Danish group demines in Kanniya

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 December 2003, 20:24 GMT]
The Danish Demining Group (DDG) has been engaged in identifying and recovering unexploded ordnance (UXO) buried in the village of Kanniya, located along the Trincomalee- Anuradhapura trunk road, about 8 k.m. northwest of the Trincomalee town. DDG workers Friday morning exploded three such mines recovered from the vicinity of the Kanniya Tamil School where children of resettled internally displaced families are studying, sources said.

DDG workers stopped vehicular traffic on the Trincomalee-Kanniya main road when they exploded recovered mines close to their office, sources said.




DDG worker block the traffic with red flag in hand while recovered mines being exploded at a selected safe site which is located close to the DDG office at Kanniya


The Kanniya Tamil School was closed down in 1983 when the entire village was displaced following military operation and violence. The school was re-opened by the beginning of this year following the return of several internally displaced families to their own lands and houses since the signing of the ceasefire agreement. Last year, some families had occupied their damaged houses in the 10-Houses Project located in Mankaiyootu area in Kanniya village.

Now the DDG has notified these resettlers that they have identified some spots in the vicinity of the housing project with unexploded mines buried. Resettlers in the area have been warned not to enter the areas earmarked as dangerous until mines located are removed, sources said.


DDG worker comes out of the site after exploding the recovered mine.


Furthermore Kanniya villagers have been warned that nearly a hundred unexploded mines have been identified in the vicinity of Killikunchchumalaia area and they must stay away from the area until the mines are removed, sources said.