De-Mining the Falklands. The UK will miss a deadline.
Discussion
Is anyone else a touch surprised by this story;
BBC Falklands Mine Clearance
Fray Bentos and his chums litter the place with land mines, get a bloody nose and are sent packing and the UK has to pay to clear up their mess. Now, as the government signed the Ottawa convention banning landmines in 1997 with a deadline to get rid of them that will not now be met, the UK will be seen as an international pariah.
Why aren't Argentina at least making some contribution to the clear up work?
It is nice to see the Falkland Islanders showing typical British style though.
BBC Falklands Mine Clearance
Fray Bentos and his chums litter the place with land mines, get a bloody nose and are sent packing and the UK has to pay to clear up their mess. Now, as the government signed the Ottawa convention banning landmines in 1997 with a deadline to get rid of them that will not now be met, the UK will be seen as an international pariah.
Why aren't Argentina at least making some contribution to the clear up work?
It is nice to see the Falkland Islanders showing typical British style though.
Mike Summers spokesman for the Islands Legislative Council said:
"We're rather agnostic about this."
"Clearing the mines here is neither an economic nor a serious social issue," says Mr Summers.
"If the money they were thinking of spending here could be better spent in one of those areas where children are still getting their legs blown off… we would be more than happy with that."
"Clearing the mines here is neither an economic nor a serious social issue," says Mr Summers.
"If the money they were thinking of spending here could be better spent in one of those areas where children are still getting their legs blown off… we would be more than happy with that."
I'm somewhat confused...an invading force whacks down a load of landmines then the rightful landowners are potentially vilified for not getting rid of them within a certain timescale?
Eh?
Apart from the threat to sheep and penguins, what's the problem?
ETA Credit to the local community too, and I do realise that it's a bit of a non event of a story, given that it appears the UK will be allowed its extension, but where is the logic in the whole thing anyway.
Eh?
Apart from the threat to sheep and penguins, what's the problem?
ETA Credit to the local community too, and I do realise that it's a bit of a non event of a story, given that it appears the UK will be allowed its extension, but where is the logic in the whole thing anyway.
Edited by DrTre on Monday 24th November 10:09
DrTre said:
I'm somewhat confused...an invading force whacks down a load of landmines then the rightful landowners are potentially vilified for not getting rid of them within a certain timescale?
Eh?
Apart from the threat to sheep and penguins, what's the problem?
ETA Credit to the local community too, and I do realise that it's a bit of a non event of a story, given that it appears the UK will be allowed its extension, but where is the logic in the whole thing anyway.
Exactly. We might as well ask Argentina if there's anything else they'd like us to clear up whilst we're down there.Eh?
Apart from the threat to sheep and penguins, what's the problem?
ETA Credit to the local community too, and I do realise that it's a bit of a non event of a story, given that it appears the UK will be allowed its extension, but where is the logic in the whole thing anyway.
Edited by DrTre on Monday 24th November 10:09
The trouble is with the Falklands is that the ground is mostly peat bog.
The Argies slapped down millions of mines in various places, didn't keep much of a record of where, and to compound this lots of the mines sunk in the soft ground and have moved....only to resurface elsewhere.
Lots and lots of areas are cordoned of and it's not worth putting the time and resources into clearing them.
The Argies slapped down millions of mines in various places, didn't keep much of a record of where, and to compound this lots of the mines sunk in the soft ground and have moved....only to resurface elsewhere.
Lots and lots of areas are cordoned of and it's not worth putting the time and resources into clearing them.
Edited by Cara Van Man on Monday 24th November 10:44
I think you will find that the Falklands is not the only part of the world where the process of mine clearance has been postponed, principally because it is something of a "dangerous sport". My understanding is that, for obvious reasons, mines are made as hard to detect as possible.
The current hope is that further advances in ground penetrating radar, scanning technologies (not unlike the advances made in luggage scanning after 9/11) and "seeing" robots will eventually enable the process of mine clearance to be carried out without human participation.
The current hope is that further advances in ground penetrating radar, scanning technologies (not unlike the advances made in luggage scanning after 9/11) and "seeing" robots will eventually enable the process of mine clearance to be carried out without human participation.
I fully appreciate the hazards and problems associated with clearance, my objection is the fact that 'we' are being made to pay to clear somebody elses mess. I really shouldn't be surprised I know, but we didn't put them there, Argentina did. Why are they not be made to (at least) cover partial costs?
Red Firecracker said:
I fully appreciate the hazards and problems associated with clearance, my objection is the fact that 'we' are being made to pay to clear somebody elses mess. I really shouldn't be surprised I know, but we didn't put them there, Argentina did. Why are they not be made to (at least) cover partial costs?
Agree.And they should pay me compensation for every time I have to go down to that god-forsaken crap hole.
They really aren't a big deal in the Falklands, all the risk areas are now fenced and signed, and with a few tiny exceptions have no impact on any population what so ever, yes sure a few edges of fields have slowly shifted but the permanant garrison conducts an annual rolling survey on all the areas and adjusts the perimeters accordingly. It may sound like a fudged solution but leaving them where they are for a couple of hundred years really isn't going to cause much hassle against the cost and risk of clearing them. Besides the Golf Course at Goose Green wouldn't be half as much fun if the out of bounds area off the fairway wasn't marked out with barbed wire and little red triangular signs 
mel said:
They really aren't a big deal in the Falklands, all the risk areas are now fenced and signed, and with a few tiny exceptions have no impact on any population what so ever, yes sure a few edges of fields have slowly shifted but the permanant garrison conducts an annual rolling survey on all the areas and adjusts the perimeters accordingly. It may sound like a fudged solution but leaving them where they are for a couple of hundred years really isn't going to cause much hassle against the cost and risk of clearing them. Besides the Golf Course at Goose Green wouldn't be half as much fun if the out of bounds area off the fairway wasn't marked out with barbed wire and little red triangular signs
Well alright I may have been a little misleading with the phrase "Golf Course" just incase anyone has come up with the mental image of the Col "H" Jones memorial backing onto the Belfry, what you've really got is 9 randomly bored holes in an area on peat bog, with the terrain like thousands of grass covered babies heads and a few flags scattered about, there's not much chance of them holding an "Open" down there 
as Nick so rightly points out it's a s
t hole beyond comprehension.
just incase anyone has come up with the mental image of the Col "H" Jones memorial backing onto the Belfry, what you've really got is 9 randomly bored holes in an area on peat bog, with the terrain like thousands of grass covered babies heads and a few flags scattered about, there's not much chance of them holding an "Open" down there as Nick so rightly points out it's a st hole beyond comprehension.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff