Country & Territory Reports - Landmine Action

Thailand
Background
Thailand’s MOTAPM and ERW problems result from
insurgencies by Thai and Malaysian communists and from
border conflicts. Many of the most heavily affected areas
are disputed, such as Hua Lone Hill between Thailand and
Myanmar, and some areas of Sakeo Province bordering
Cambodia, where Cambodian and Khmer Rouge forces
fought and laid mines on what is now territory claimed by
Thailand. 1886 Numerous abandoned weapon caches have
been found in jungle areas along the Thai-Cambodian
border, particularly near Pailin. 1887 Of its four neighbours,
Myanmar is the only one in which internal armed conflict is
taking place today. The official military forces and several
different insurgent groups possess and use AV mines. 1888
UXO from conflicts within Myanmar have been found in the
adjacent provinces of Thailand, although not in large
quantities. 1889 Forests and mountainous terrain on the Thai
frontier adjacent to all four of its neighbours have some,
usually very low amounts of ERW. 1890
Assessment of the problem
A Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) of Thailand was completed in
May 2001. It provides national data on landmine/UXO impact
on communities in Thailand with a focus on the regions
bordering Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia.
According to the survey, the total UXO/mine contaminated
area covers more than 2,500 sq km of land in 27 provinces
along the Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Malaysia
borders. 1891 A total of 530 communities were reported as
landmine and/or UXO affected, of which 69 communities
were considered as suffering a high impact, 232
communities medium impact and 229 communities low
impact. 1892
Some 295 communities along the Thai-Cambodian border,
with a total population of 216,000 people, were reported
as UXO and mine affected. They reported a total of 457
contaminated areas. Along the Thai-Lao border 90
communities with a population of 56,000 people were
reported as UXO and mine affected, with 213
contaminated areas. Along the Thai-Burma/Myanmar
border, 213 danger areas were identified. 1893 The survey
found that UXO/mine contamination on the Malaysian
border was lower than expected with only four affected
communities identified. 1894
According to the Director-General of Thailand Mine Action
Centre (TMAC), the UXO problem is less severe than that of
anti-personnel mines. UXO were mostly found in the
border areas with Burma/Myanmar as a result of the
ongoing conflict in that country. 1895
Apart from MOTAPM and ERW problems as a legacy of war,
Thailand has suffered problems caused by several
thailand 169
explosions of military arsenals in the past few years. A
major incident was the Nong Sarai Army Arsenal in Pak
Chong, Nakorn Ratchasima in October 2001. The incident
claimed 17 lives, with many more injured. Residences
within a radius of three kilometres from the explosion area
were damaged. Only a few months later there was another
explosion at the same arsenal. 1896 Mine clearance teams
were pulled off their fields near the Cambodia border to
undertake UXO clearance operations, which covered an
area within a radius of five kilometres. Yet another military
arsenal exploded in March 2002, in the northern Sa Kaeo
province. There were no reported casualties but a number
of people had to be evacuated. 1897
Impact
Nationwide data on UXO/mines casualties is incomplete
and there is no centralized database from which casualty
data can be extracted. Despite installation of the
Information Management System for Mine Action database
(IMSMA) at TMAC in early 2001, the data collection process
is still in need of development. Only information on
incidents and casualties around the Thai-Cambodian
border is collected with this data transmitted to IMSMA by
the Humanitarian Mine Action Units (HMAUs) working in
these areas. TMAC is presently attempting to make an
improvement on data collection through partnership with
the Ministry of Health. 1898
From the Thai-Cambodia border area during 2003, TMAC
recorded four killed and 25 injured as a result of mine and
ordnance accidents. A similar level seemed to continue
into 2004 with two killed and 12 injured between January
and September. 1899
UXO/landmine contamination in Myanmar is also a major
concern regarding any future programme for the return of
Burmese refugees now sheltering in Thailand. The Thai
Government has set a goal that all Burmese refugees shall
be repatriated as soon as conditions permit. Provision of
safe passage for a repatriation process is already part of
the government’s concerns. However discussion of
humanitarian clearance activities beyond the Thai border is
unlikely in the near future as it is considered an
intervention on Myanmar’s internal affairs. 1900
Efforts to address these problems
TMAC is responsible for mine action coordination. In
February 2002, TMAC issued the “First interim – corrected
and revised – edition of the National Plan on Humanitarian
Mine Action 2002-2006”. Priorities are given to civilian
needs, including access to schools, agricultural and water
resources, based on data collected by the Landmine
Impact Survey.
erw and motapm – global survey 2003–2004