Mine Risks Awareness: National Working Group Meeting Held In Nay Pyi Taw

National Mine Risks Working Group Meeting took place in Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday.

The meeting discussed measures for mine risks awareness, assistance being provided for the victims of mines, and teaching aids for mine risks education program.

This is the 21st meeting of the working group which was established in 2012. It aims to carry out mine risks awareness activities widely under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement with the comprise of the related ministries, UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs.

For effective implementation of the tasks, State level working groups on mine risks awareness have been formed in Kachin, Kayah, northern Shan and Kayin States.

The officials called for cooperation of local community in mine risks awareness and clearing activities, stressing that there are lack of awareness among the locals.

Director  General, Department of Rehabilitation, Win Naing Tun said “There are danger of mine in nine Regions and States. Locals suffer mine risk since the areas are once situated in the conflict zone. But we have seen lack of knowledge of mine risks among the local community including children. According to the survey conducted in 2014, three out of four children in those areas have less knowledge on mine risks.”

In 2018, mine risks education has been conducted to about 300,000 people from six states and two regions. During first three months of this year, the educative activities have been provided to more than 30,000 people.

Director  General, Department of Rehabilitation, Win Naing Tun said “Mine risks awareness has to be carried out in a long term plan. These tasks include not only awareness programs, but also to issue  notification and to provide assistance to the victims. Arrangements have been made to issue notification on ethnic dialects at the mine risk areas.”

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has been providing 200,000 kyats each for the victims of mine. It is learnt that a strategy for mine risk education has been drafted and it will be implemented under six categories including cooperation among the agencies and the ministries, providing assistance to the victims, land release activities, advocacy and information management.