The
International Campaign to Ban Landmines has pertinent, and frightening, information about the continued use of landmines today. Their 1999
Ottawa Treaty, the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, has been signed by 154 states, though major players such as China, Cuba, Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Russia, USA have not.
The following chart shows which countries are still
producing landmines.
An amazing 84 countries have problems with landmines and unexploded ordnance, and about 60 countries have stockpiles, with China maintaining 110 million antipersonnel mines. I hope they
don't keep them near their fireworks factories.
Will somebody think of the children, or at least the potential alien visitors?