STOP PRESS: There are still approximately ten million anti-personnel landmines in Afghanistan - the kind that are designed to maim soldiers but which kill children, animals and other non-combatants - a dead soldier is one loss, whereas a maimed soldier is three or four losses - himself and the two or three others who must help him along ... There were some 88 landmine casualties per week in 2000, and Afghanistan is the third most densely mined country in the world ... And finally ... WE AT BANMINES WISH TO EXPRESS OUR CONDOLENCES TO ALL GRIEVING FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF VICTIMS OF THE TERRORISM IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2001. WHEN WILL THE KILLING END? IF NOT YOU, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT HERE, WHERE?

MNE-AESOP in support of the HALO Trust Anti-Personnel Land Mine Campaign present:

BANMINES info page Copyright © Latuff, 1999, drawn exclusively for BANMINES INTERNET ONLINE PETITION TO BAN LANDMINES WORLDWIDE in Memory of Diana, Princess of Wales   INTERNET ONLINE PETITION TO BAN LANDMINES WORLDWIDE In Memory of Diana, Princess of Wales PLEASE BAN LANDMINES   We believe that a total global ban on the manufacture, sale, distribution or use of land mines of every kind, together with the drastic but necessary increase in global resources, effort and expenditure in detecting and de-mining existing land mines which continue to cause horrific deaths and injuries to innocent people in countries all over the world, would be a lasting tribute to the memory of Diana. Please reply either by filling in the petition form or (if for any reason you have difficulty submitting the form) by emailing banmines [at] copyedit.co.uk, to lend your support to this petition which will be sent to the HALO Trust Anti-Personnel Land Mines Campaign. Obviously it will be much quicker for you to fill in the form and you will then instantly be able to view your entry and comments along with others who have signed the petition. If you email us your support we will add your name, address and comments to the petition as quickly as we can. Either way, your entry will also appear in the index of petitioners as soon as possible. If you have reservations about signing, or need more information before you decide, we have provided a fact file and list of useful links to land mine sites. See also STOP PRESS information. You can also send a donation directly to the HALO Trust Anti Personnel Land Mines Campaign at: The HALO Trust Carronfoot Thornhill Dumfries DG3 5BF, UK E: mail@halotrust.org T: +44 (0) 1848 331100 F: +44 (0) 1848 331122 W: http://www.halotrust.org/ Contact page: http://www.halotrust.org/home/contact.aspx Donations page: http://www.halotrust.org/home/donate.aspx If you run your own website and support this petition, please copy it to your opening page. Many thanks, MNE-AESOP   STOP PRESS Sunday, 29 July 2012 LEBANON-SYRIA BORDER BLAST WOUNDS THREE Landmines laid by Syrians along Lebanese border lead to injury of three people. A landmine explosion on Saturday night near the Lebanese border left three Syrian men badly wounded, a medical official in the northern Lebanese province of Akkar told AFP. Two of the men had to have their legs amputated, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Syria's state news agency SANA said regime forces "on Saturday night foiled an attempt by armed terrorist groups to illegally cross the border from Lebanon" into the central Syrian province of Homs. Lebanon's northern and eastern borders have seen frequent exchanges of fire in recent weeks, some of them deadly, as well as shelling from Syria into Lebanon. Syrian troops have laid landmines on the border with north Lebanon, sparking outrage from human rights organizations. Last week, Beirut and Damascus traded accusations of violating each other's territory. President Bashar al-Assad says Lebanon does not do enough to stop "armed terrorists" and weapons from being smuggled across the border into Syria. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman last week accused Syria of violating Lebanese territory after a house in the eastern Qaa region was hit by a blast and shells fired from Syria hit several villages along the northern border. The protest was the first of its kind by a Lebanese president since Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 after nearly three decades of political and military hegemony over its smaller neighboUr. AFP, Sunday, 29 July 2012 Monday, 10 October 2011 BOTCHED CONTROLLED BLAST KILLS SIX IN SOUTH IRAQ Six members of a land mine removal team died when a controlled detonation of old land mines went wrong, said a police official Monday. The accident happened near the city of Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, on Saturday. Land mines and other munitions left over from the Iraq-Iran war and the 1991 Gulf War had been piled together for a controlled detonation but failed to explode, the official said. As the troops went to investigate, the explosion erupted, killing three Iraqi soldiers and three explosives experts. A medical official at a nearby hospital confirmed the toll. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information. About 25 percent of the world's unexploded land mines are buried in Iraq. Associated Press, 10/10/2011 Monday, 3 September 2007 BANMINES IS TEN YEARS OLD TODAY Banmines, the Internet Petition Online to Ban Landmines Worldwide, debuted 3 September 1997. Today marks its 10th anniversary. Banmines is a decade old. Created in and dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, herself an exemplary tribute to noblesse oblige, Banmines perseveres to preserve the goal of a life cut tragically short, the global abolition of anti-personnel mines. Forty days following her death, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and an anti-landmine activist shared the Nobel Prize for Peace. What good is there in something intended solely to kill or to maim? To us at Banmines, the answer is obvious: none. Aggravating this are the indeterminate longevity and the indiscriminate nature of the landmine’s destructiveness. Add ludicrous to obvious. The past ten years have seen much if not most of the world engaged in, on the brink of or poised for violent conflict or outright war. Although substantially eclipsing the landmine issue, the issue remains. Millions upon countless millions of landmines deployed across the world have failed, as miserably as they are miserable, to make one single soldier or civilian one iota safer. Quite the opposite, in fact and as expected: long-since buried landmines continue taking their gruesome toll, claiming life and causing death. Despite this, major world powers, including the People's Republic of China, India, the Russian Federation and the United States, stubbornly, arrogantly and, worst of all, ignorantly refuse to accept and to adopt the Ottawa, or Mine Ban, Treaty. Formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, signatory countries agree and pledge not to manufacture, stockpile or use anti-personnel mines. Positively and productively, Banmines provides a coherent, tolerant forum for thousands of voices from all corners of the world, and furnishes a veritable library of relevant, useful information and knowledge, much from individual contributors. Banmines has been the subject of many classroom projects in diverse nations. If societies ever enduringly change for the better, it will be today’s young students who initiate those changes tomorrow. In her short yet full 36 years, Diana left a powerful and passionate, yet gentle and compassionate, legacy.. It is our hope that Banmines serves, however humbly or modestly, to keep that legacy alive and to perpetuate the good it embodies. As we enter our second decade, we wish peace and prosperity, and health and happiness, to one and all. Jack Tanis, Banmines US Martin Noble, Banmines UK Sunday, 5 September 2003 BANMINES IS BACK APOLOGIES TO ANYONE WHO CLICKED ON A DEAD LINK WHEN SEARCHING FOR BANMINES ON THE NET - BANMINES HAS NOW REL0CATED TO ITS NEW HOME AT WWW.ALL-EDS.COM. THE PETITON SIGNING PROCESS IS NOW MUCH SIMPLER AND FASTER, AND THE PETITION ENTRY PAGES HAVE BEEN STREAMLINED. Wednesday, 12 September 2001 STOP THE KILLING NOW WE AT BANMINES WISH TO EXPRESS OUR CONDOLENCES TO ALL GRIEVING FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF VICTIMS OF THE TERRORISM IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2001. Thursday, 26 October 2000 REDBUS TO STAMP OUT LANDMINES Redbus Investments today announces its funding of a new British company, Redbus LMDS Ltd., which has developed an innovative mechanical solution, the Land Mine Disposal System (LMDS). With an estimated sixty million landmines in approximately 80 countries world-wide, the Redbus LMDS is destined to deliver a safe and reliable future for millions of people whose lives are adversely affected by landmines. Redbus LMDS is remote controlled, ensuring that those manoeuvring the machine can operate it from a safe distance. A prototype of the Redbus LMDS solution has received support from a number of agencies working in landmine clearance including DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) and the EU's Joint Research Centre The Redbus LMDS consists of two remote controlled machines. The first, called Bigfoot, drives over the minefield covering every centimetre of ground. By using a row of piston-mounted feet, Bigfoot mimics the human step and applies pressure to detonate the mines. While the feet are designed to absorb an explosion, even if a foot is damaged, it can be quickly and cheaply replaced in the field saving costly 'down time'. The second machine, Mineworm, follows behind, digging into the ground and collecting the soil which, after being sifted along a metal removal system, passes through a "crusher" to ensure there are no explosive materials left. The freshly tilled soil is re-distributed on the ground ready for planting while the metal fragments are collected in another compartment for safe disposal. "It's an amazing privilege to be in a position to give financial and management backing to a venture like Redbus LMDS," says Cliff Stanford, founder of Redbus. "This British solution to a global tragedy is testament to the wealth of innovation that exists in this country. Redbus LMDS has gained the support of those who work in clearing landmines across the world and we now need the governments and aid agencies to come on board and get Bigfoot and Mineworm in the field, stamping out this global blight." Redbus LMDS is much faster than traditional methods: a two-person de-mining team could expect to clear an area of a few square metres per day while these machines have the capacity to de-mine a piece of land the size of Wembley Stadium in the same time. Trials undertaken by DERA with funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) have shown that the machines can withstand large explosions with only minor damage that can be repaired in the field without difficulty. For the thousands of civilians threatened by land mines, these machines represent the first tangible solution to a tragic, world-wide problem. Inspired by Diana, Princess of Wales on her trip to Angola, the inventor of the Redbus LMDS Bob French says, "I watched the TV programme showing Princess Diana in the minefields of Angola and found it hard to believe that people still cleared landmines by poking sticks into the ground. We were using this method thirty-five years ago and it seemed that no progress had been made. Having looked at the problem and produced a solution, my ambition is to play football with the local children on an area cleared of mines by my machines." Wednesday, 3 November 1999 BANMINES ARTICLE IN PEACEZINE Jack Tanis of BANMINES writes on why landmines do not add to the sum total of human happiness. Click here to read it. Wednesday, 16 June 1999 LANDMINES ARE CONTINUING RISK IN KOSOVO Kosovo, Yugoslavia - Ethnic Albanian refugees returning to Kosovo are being threatened by the risk of landmines. There have already been several deaths and injuries and until and unless the landmines are cleared, there may be many more. Monday, 1 March 1999 OTTAWA TREATY GOES INTO FORCE Ottawa - The Ottawa Treaty banning landmines went into force at midnight tonight. So far 150 countries have signed. Bells will ring at noon and a gathering of landmine survivors in the US will add to the call for the US government to sign the Treaty. Tuesday, 26 January 1999 MINES USED TO KILL TIGERS Cambodia - CAMBODIAN poachers are using landmines to kill tigers, the country's environment ministry said yesterday. It said villagers had told national park rangers that armed men were killing the endangered animals, whose bones are used in traditional Asian medicines. (from Elecronic Telegraph, Wednesday, 27 January 1999) Friday, 10 July 1998 UK GOVERNMENT RUSH THROUGH ANTI-LANDMINE LEGISLATION London, UK - In just five hours Tony Blair's Labour Government have rushed through the necessary anti-landmine legislation banning the sale and use of landmines, as agreed in the Ottawa Anti-Landmine Accord, to ensure that Britain honours its pledge to ban landmines in time for the first anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. The new British Act will go through the House of Lords next week before becoming a Law. Tuesday, 7 July 1998 GINOLA JOINS ANTI-LANDMINE CAMPAIGN Paris, France - David Ginola, French footballer, has agreed to become involved with the Red Cross's Anti-Personnel Landmine Campaign as a Red Cross Ambassador, following in the footsteps of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Red Cross hope that with Ginola's help they can focus the world's attention on the children who have become victims of landmines. Thursday, 25 June 1998 TREATY STILL TO BE RATIFIED London, UK - MPs are to rush through the British ratification of the Treaty to Ban Landmines before the first anniversary of Diana's death. Even if MPs have to work on a Saturday they are determined to get the Treaty ratified before the British Parliament's Summer Recess. The US has agreed in principle to participate in the banning of landmines everywhere apart from Korea by the year 2003 and - again in principle - completely by the year 2006. Tuesday, 10 March 1998 NEW BRITISH ANTI-LANDMINE DEVICE London, UK - A new British anti-landmine device has been developed which, if deployed worldwide, could drastically reduce the current 100 million landmines known to be dispersed globally. The device has been developed by the Kent-based Defence Evaluation and Research Establishment. It costs justs a few pounds/dollars, is shaped like a roman candle and is designed to defuse landmines safely and effectively. Wednesday, 4 February 1998 ANTI-MINE ACTIVIST GOES TO KOREA PAJU, South (Reuters) - Nobel laureate Jody Williams today took her anti-landmines campaign to the Korean frontier, one of the most heavily mined places on Earth. Williams toured the Demilitarized Zone, where armies of the North and South have faced each other for 45 years and technically are still at war. Williams, who shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, is trying to raise awareness about the issue among South Koreans. The ICBL was a driving force behind a treaty to ban anti-personnel mines. A total of 123 countries have so far signed the agreement. Washington and Seoul have declined to sign it. Thursday, 4 December 1997 LANDMINE TREATY SIGNED The International Treaty banning landmines was signed in Oslo yesterday. However, the US, Russia and China are absent from the signatories. Friday, 10 October 1997 NOBEL PRIZE AWARDED It was announced today that the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines. UK TO DOUBLE SPENDING ON DE-MINING At the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, UK, it has been announced that spending on mine clearance is to be doubled to £10 million per annum. But it has still been emphasized that at the present rate it will take a thousand years to clear all the existing land mines scattered around the world. 100 COUNTRIES AGREE AT OSLO CONFERENCE to prepare draft treaty banning all anti-personnel land mines A momentous humanitarian victory was achieved in Oslo last week. Eighty-nine countries adopted a treaty banning the production, stockpiling, use, and export of antipersonnel landmines. Over 100 countries are expected to sign the treaty by the December formal signing date in Ottawa, including many US allies and countries such as Angola, Bosnia, and Cambodia where landmines have taken their greatest civilian toll. The treaty will come into force after 40 countries have signed and ratified it. The International Red Cross said that it was largely brought about through the campaigning efforts of Diana, Princess of Wales. US, RUSSIA AND CHINA NOT TO SIGN DRAFT TREATY U.S President Bill Clinton refused to approve decision to sign Draft Treaty because of "concerns about safety of US troops in Korea", where border between North and South is heavily planted with landmines. Clinton contacted other world leaders to persuade them of the rightness of his decision - to wait until land mines in Korea and other countries considered vital to US strategic defences were "phased out". None was persuaded. Also absent from the Oslo Conference - Russia and China - who were not invited. NOW, MORE THAN EVER, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR PETITION. EVERY SIGNATURE HELPS. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Click here now to sign