US anti-tank deal heeds mine ban: armyUN TREATY RESPECTED: The mines would be deployed only on beaches to halt amphibious landings, and could not be triggered by stepping on them, the army saidStaff Writer, with CNAArmy Command Headquarters yesterday said that only anti-tank munitions would be included in a proposed purchase of US Volcano mine-dispensing systems, and the deal does not breach international laws banning anti-personnel mines. The statement came after independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) expressed concern that the proposed purchase risked creating a “landmine hell” similar to that experienced by post-war Cambodia. The US Army in the 1980s developed the M136 Volcano automated mine delivery system, which can be mounted on ground vehicles or helicopters. Called a Ground Volcano when fitted to land-based vehicles, it uses prepackaged mine canisters that contain multiple anti-personnel or anti-tank mines that can be placed across a vast area. Taiwan would only deploy the Volcano anti-tank system to a few beaches on which an amphibious landing could be made, Su said.
