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MNE-AESOP in support of the HALO Trust Anti-Personnel Land Mine Campaign present: info page
In Memory of Diana, Princess of Wales
PLEASE BAN LANDMINES
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:
If you run your own website and support this petition, please copy it to your opening page. STOP PRESS
LEBANON-SYRIA BORDER
BOTCHED CONTROLLED BLAST
BANMINES IS TEN YEARS OLD TODAY
BANMINES IS BACK
STOP THE KILLING NOW
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."
BANMINES ARTICLE IN PEACEZINE
Wednesday, 16 June 1999 LANDMINES ARE CONTINUING RISK IN KOSOVO
Monday, 1 March 1999 OTTAWA TREATY GOES INTO FORCE
Tuesday, 26 January 1999 MINES USED TO KILL TIGERS
It said villagers had told national park rangers that armed men were killing the endangered animals, whose bones are used in traditional Asian medicines.
Friday, 10 July 1998 UK GOVERNMENT RUSH THROUGH ANTI-LANDMINE LEGISLATION
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.
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
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
The International Red Cross said that it was largely brought about through the campaigning efforts of Diana, Princess of Wales.
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.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BANMINES
Copyright © Latuff, 1999, drawn exclusively for BANMINESINTERNET ONLINE PETITION TO BAN LANDMINES WORLDWIDE
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.
BLAST WOUNDS THREE
KILLS SIX IN SOUTH IRAQ
to prepare draft treaty banning all anti-personnel land mines
EVERY SIGNATURE HELPS.
Landmine Facts
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Sources:
(a) Landmine Data Base; (b) Department of Humanitarian Affairs; (c)
United Nations; |
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