MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands' de-mining plans for next two seasons funded by FCO
Experts helping to clear some of the minefields close to Stanley, planted by the Argentines 
The 'Danger Mines' sign, a common sight dating back to 1982. An estimated 18.000 mines are still 'live' in the Islands The Falkland Islands will be seeing further de-mining over the next two summer seasons funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) that will also carry out a tender process for the works, according to a report from Penguin News.
Priorities for the next phase of de-mining were agreed at this week’s Falklands' Executive Council meeting and include areas, “adjacent to roads which are considered potentially dangerous or which hamper maintenance, and to areas of high amenity value south of Stanley,” said MLA Mike Summers.
This work is expected to take place over the next two seasons and will be subject to a tender process led by the FCO who are funding the programme.
Argentina brought 25,000 anti vehicle and personnel mines to the Falklands during the 1982 war of which 5,000 were accounted for.
Demining and land release operations carried out by British company BACTEC International in 2010 and 2012 - when the popular Stone Corral area near Sapper Hill was reopened to the public - cleared some six per cent of the remaining mines with more than 18,000 mines still in the ground on both East and West Falklands.
No British mines were laid during the war, however the British Government has the legal responsibility for the removal of land mines placed by Argentine forces.
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Read all commentsAnyone from the Falklands care to explain this? Fire artillery shells into the minefields. Mine flails. Typhoon-launched missiles. Why are people having to go out and do this?
Jul 18th, 2014 - 10:31 am 0Wartime -advancing troops will clear a path - and accept a few casualties from mines that are missed. In peacetime the only level of effective clearance is a Guarantee of 10o%.
Jul 18th, 2014 - 10:40 am 0@1 Conquerer
Jul 18th, 2014 - 10:45 am 0There is no guarantee that dropping bombs on a mine field will detonate the mines. You've watched far too many 'war movies'. It doesn't work like that, and mines are designed to detonate when pressure is placed upon the detonator. So unless each and every 'bomb' or 'missile' dropped hit an actual mine, then they probably wouldn't go off.
And then, of course, you have the problems of blinds - that is bombs and missiles that don't detonate, which would then also have to be defused by hand.
Why do you think that the ISAF in Afghanistan didn't just bomb the feck out area's they thought there might be IED's? Because you actually increase the risk to troops, not decrease it.
Added to this is a possibility of an artillery shell or missile going astray and hitting the civilian population and then you can see that it is all a big NO - just not worth the risk.
The people who are defusing the mines are all experts who know their job and the inherent risks involved.
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