Work history by Donor: Norwegian Government

Thailand Landmine Impact Survey

Country: Thailand

Status: Past

Start: May, 2000

End: Jun, 2001

Thailand was the first nation in Southeast Asia to sign and ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction. In 1998, the Office of the Prime Minister established the National Mine Action Committee (NMAC) as the mine action policy body within Thailand. It then established the Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC) to implement and coordinate mine action activities.

The Landmine Impact Survey in Thailand began in May 1999 when the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), at the behest of TMAC, requested the survey. Following two preliminary missions to Thailand, Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) was selected as the executing partner to conduct the survey. It established a full-time presence in Thailand in May 2000. NPA executed the survey in accordance with the principles and operating protocols established by the Survey Working Group (SWG) as well as the UNMAS Certification Guidelines. The data collection phase was completed in May 2001 and the office closed shortly thereafter. Funding for the survey, a total of $1,737,200, was provided by the governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, Australia, and Canada, as well as the United Nations Foundation. A portion of these funds was made available through a contracting mechanism managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The Landmine Impact Survey conclusively identified 530 mine-impacted communities that contain 933 distinct landmine and/or unexploded ordnance (UXO) contaminated sites. Of these communities, 297 are located along Thailand's border with Cambodia, 139 along the border with Myanmar, 90 in the areas adjacent to the Thai-Laos border, and four near the border with Malaysia. At the time of the survey, an estimated 2,557 square kilometers of contaminated land in Thailand directly affected the livelihoods and safety of 503,682 persons.

THEME:

Mine Action

Donors
Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement
Department for International Development
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Norwegian Government
United Nations Foundation
Australian Government Overseas Aid Program
Finnish Government