NewsSri Lanka joined the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines on December 13, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The Mine Ban Treaty comprehensively bans antipersonnel landmines, and requires destruction of stockpiles, clearance of mined areas, and assistance to victims of the weapons. Sri Lanka reports that it has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines. After Sri Lanka’s accession, three South Asian countries have yet to join the Mine Ban Treaty: India, Pakistan, and Nepal, the statement claimed. Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), chairs the US Campaign to Ban Landmines, and serves as ban policy editor for Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.

Source: Sunday Times December 15, 2017 05:48 UTC