Use of landmines: globally prohibited

By CMO Battalion, 8ID PA
December 16, 2010

CAMP LUKBAN, Catbalogan Samar  –  The use of different kinds of mines has already been denounced by the international organizations for it causes physical and emotional scars.  Here in the Philippines, the terrorist New People’s Army (NPA) persistently employs various types of mines to inflict heavy casualty to their targets.

In the recent treacherous attack staged by the NPA in the outskirts of Brgy Perez, Las Navas in the province of Northern Samar that claimed ten (10) lives of soldiers, one (1) 9-year old minor and wounding of two (2) others, devastating landmines were planted and exploded.

With the update of the investigation done by the scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) from Northern Samar Provincial Police Office (NSPPO), it revealed that six (6) landmines were used by the enemy but outnumbered troops ferociously fought it out up to the last.

The grieving mother of the slain 9-year old boy also claimed that his son has shrapnel wounds on his head that she believed to be the cause of its immediate death.

It can be recalled that improvised explosive devices (IED) were also used during an incident that occurred last August 21 in Barangay Imelda, Cataman of the same province where eight (8) dead police officers were also brutally killed.

General Mario Chan, the commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division said that these incidents are no longer ordinary engagement between the opposing forces.  It is already a demonic and extreme slaughtering of lives that are deemed condemnable.

The use of landmines in any form has already been condemned and banned by the international union.  In fact, two international treaties or protocols that deal specifically with landmines were passed just to totally eradicate landmines.  The “1997 Ottawa Treaty” and the “1996 Amended Protocol II”.  These are the main international legal instruments on landmines.

Here in the Philippines, the House Bill No. 1054 and the Senate Bill No. 1595 other wise known as the “Philippine Landmines Bill” seeks to implement the two main international legal instruments on landmines that have been passed.  This calls for the ultimate ban for landmines.

“The CPP-NPA-NDF is the supreme violator of our people’s rights.  First is the overwhelming disrespect and mockery to the Comprehensive Agreement of the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and now on the disobedience of the Philippine Landmines Bill just for the sake of their ambitions and in the pursuance of their alleged revolutionary struggle,” says General Chan.

“I am wondering why they persist on doing such brand of staging their atrocities.  Even civilians that supposed to have nothing to do with arm struggles were victimized.  It even calls me to think deeper why these terrorist is happy to see the people threatened and even getting worse with their own means of sculpting their bloody desire?  Only they can answer because even people couldn’t perceive it,” the good general adds.