Hollywood actress Rosamund Pike praises Sri Lanka’s demining progress
As government says country on track to be mine-free in four years
COLOMBO – Hollywood actress and International Ambassador for Landmine Clearance Rosamund Pike described Sri Lanka’s demining program as a “great success” on Monday (19), welcoming the country’s goal of becoming completely free of landmines within four years.
Pike met Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr Susil Ranasinghe at the ministry in Battaramulla, where she inquired into the progress of clearance operations and commended work being carried out in line with international standards.
The ministry said about 90% of Sri Lanka’s mine-affected areas have been cleared, with 20.8 square kilometres of complex, difficult terrain remaining. Full clearance is expected within the next four years, it added.
Five hundred specially trained Sri Lanka Army personnel are currently deployed on demining operations, with the Army targeting clearance of 1.5 square kilometres annually, alongside work by other implementing partners. The government has doubled funding for the program compared with the previous year, the ministry said.
Officials described the initiative as extending beyond mine removal, framing it as a national effort to support development in the North and East, promote tourism, and strengthen trust and reconciliation among Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities.
–ENCL
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