My position as global advocate for unmasse brought me to Cyprus and for me it's been
an extraordinary experience because I've been able to sort of get close to the people working
on the ground in minefields with the Dminers operating in the field and also to see a wonderful
bunch of guys who are from Cambodia which is tremendously inspiring because the Cambodian
unit that's here, a lot of their second generation Dminers, their fathers and parents were Dminers
before them in Cambodia so it's a tremendous sense of national pride about their Dmining
program and the fact that they've managed to export the skill around the world.
I've also had the chance to go into an active minefield and see that one of the hardest
things about any conflict is really not only while it's happening but the aftermath and
the continuance of suffering that happens after any type of armed conflict because of
the amount of ordnance and unexploded material that's just sitting around and that has to
be cleared up and it has to be done by experts and it has to be done by experts who are under
the umbrella of the UN.
It's a very slow process, it's a very slow laborious process but the end result is the
UN signing off and saying this is a mine free area, there's no downside to that.
With the UN you kind of get a guarantee.
You take into the site, it is an active site again, do not overstep the boundary lines,
if an explosion do occur please stop, inspect yourself, make sure you're in a good state,
install and you'll be extracted by the convoy and miners of the UN.
I was given the chance to blow up a couple of anti-tank mines which I'm used to being
near explosion I suppose but nothing like this and you really understand when you hear
these things go off.
Not just the amount of damage that they can potentially do but the terror that it strikes
into in people that are anywhere near them when they're just sitting there silently waiting
for a target.
The demolition is ready, four, three, two, one.
Thank you.
