Modern equipment assists Swiss Organization to demine NE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2003, 12:41 GMT]
The Swiss Demining Federation (FSD) is currently clearing mines in Thallaimannar and in Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas surrounding villages of Pallamadu, Paapamoddai, and Periya Madhu, with a view of preparing these areas ready for resettlement, said a spokesperson for FSD, a Switzerland-based organization currently involved in demining operations in different war affected areas of NorthEast.

He added that modern mine-detecting equipments are being used for the first time with the cooperation of the local mine-clearing section of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).

Within three days, the FSD team has located and removed 60 lethal mines, the spokesperson added. The clearing activities are being expedited in the areas earlier occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Thalaimannar region according to FSD.

FSD is also working in several areas of Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna and claims to be the only organization that is heavily using modern mine detection equipment, sources in Vavuniya said.