Landmine Tragedy One Year On from the Tsunami
Story and Photograph by Sean Sutton
Just three months ago, Kokulan, 12, was playing with his sister and a friend in Pulipanjakal village, Sri Lanka.
An object lying on the ground caught Kokulan's eye and, like many inquisitive children, he wondered what it was and picked it up. In his hands was a deadly P-4 landmine. Seconds later the mine exploded. Kokulan lost a hand, his 8-year-old sister Puvitha lost an eye and their friend Nevetha, also 8, is now blind.
Tragically this is just one example of the dozens of children who are injured or even killed by the remnants of armed conflict every day.
Once conflict has ended, it's not only children who continue to suffer, but entire communities are often forced into hardship, taking life-threatening risks just to survive. Today, millions of people find themselves living in former war zones where they are poverty-stricken, desperate and scared for their lives.
Few organisations are doing more to stop the suffering than MAG. We are working against the clock in 13 war-torn countries to remove and destroy landmines and other deadly weapons before more civilian lives are lost.
MAG are already working extensively in other parts of Sri Lanka and when we were informed of Kokulan's accident we responded immediately. Our teams quickly surveyed the land to discover the extent of the threat and villagers received Mine Risk Education to make sure further accidents were prevented while the mines were located and destroyed.
Right now, MAG is training, educating and employing people to remove the danger and live safer, more prosperous lives. Every landmine or unexploded weapon removed means a life or limb saved. But we need more Mine Action Teams if we are to reach villages, such as Pulipanjakal, before accidents like this happen again.
