Final phase of Sri Lankan demining will take longer

KILINOCHCHI – Sri Lankan military officials have confirmed that the “final phase” of landmine clearance in the conflict-affected parts of northern Sri Lanka will take another two or three years.

“What remains to be cleared are the difficult stretches. This requires special skill and time, as they are demined manually, with minimum use of machines,” Sri Lanka’s military spokesman, Brig Ruwan Wanigasooriya, told IRIN.

The Minister of Resettlement, Gunaratne Weerakoon, said, “Facilitating resettlement and solving livelihood issues were our twin priorities. Demining has now reached its final phase and people can enjoy complete return to normalcy then.” Read the full story here. [source: IRIN]