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Mine ban advocates call for National Legislation in Bangladesh
The Treaty Implementation and Victim Assistance Working Group of Bangladesh (TIVAWG) called on the government for the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. They further sought a comprehensive national legislation on landmines and Unexploded Ordnances (UXO) after a recent UXO incident.
Many newspapers and TV channels confirmed that on 17 July 2005, three persons were killed and four others injured in a blast of mortar shell at a scrap iron shop at Abbaserpol area in Hat Hazari sub-district in Chittagong in the afternoon. Killed in the incident were identified as Abdul Kuddus, Habulu Meah and Babul. The injured persons were identified as Azim, Abu Sayed, Jashim Uddin and Noor Hosen.
According to newspapers, one street boy sold a mortar shell as scrap iron to Noor Hosen the owner of the scrap iron shop on 16 July 2005. It was not clear where the boy collected the mortar shell from. Not realizing that the piece of iron was a mortar shell, Abdul Kuddus, a worker of the scrap shop hit it with a hammer to break it into pieces to collect the metal pieces contained in it. The mortar blasted killing instantly Kuddus and injuring six other people in the vicinity. Those injured were taken to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Unfortunately, Hablu Meah and Babul, two of the injured died while being treated in the hospital. The four survivors are in critical condition and are being treated at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
In 2003, a similar incident happened in Gasbaria in south Chittagong. Lack of awareness among the people about UXOs and landmines in these areas puts their lives at risk. While Bangladesh is the only country in the South Asia region that signed the Landmine Ban Treaty and other UN disarmament Treaties, it does not have a national legislation on it. The National Disabled Act 2000 does not refer to mine victims and the victims of UXOs. Many mine survivors in the Bangladesh-Burma border villages are living in inhumane conditions. Likewise, the mine survivors of the 1971 war have been living in difficult situations without any medical attention, rehabilitation and assistance.
Source: ICBL (International Campaign to ban landmines
