Deminer Pte. H.B.S.I.K. Dissanayake carefully clears a safe approach to a landmine detected

• SLA fields first all-woman demining team able, experienced, and ready
• Perception of family members and loved ones has changed since team began to carry out duties
• Team has cleared two sites, both in Jaffna, before commencing demining at Mankulam
• SLA keen on increasing inclusivity, offering more roles for women, sharing expertise with the world through UN Peacekeeping deployments

At the crack of dawn, deep in the heart of the Vanni forests, a group of 38 women clad in olive green begin their high-risk and exhaustive work routine before the sun bakes the arid land. 

The soldiers, part of the first Sri Lanka Army (SLA) all-woman demining platoon, travel to their work site, using a cleared road that runs over a small dried-up reservoir, which can only be traversed by a 4x4 truck. The site, part of a forest reserve, sits at the edge of farmland which is now gradually being recultivated by residents. 

Having begun their demining routine at 6 a.m. with first light, the group work in pairs, clearing a one-metre-wide corridor inch by inch and removing deadly anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and Unexploded Ordnance (UXOs) left behind by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the pitched battles for the Vanni nearly two decades ago.

This type of demining work is a laborious task being carried out under the scorching sun, since it is done largely while deminers kneel, kitted up in nearly 8 kg of ballistic jackets and safety gear, and involves the use of a mine detector which itself weighs 4 kg. Finding and clearing mines needs a sharp mind, a steady hand, strong nerves, and a sound understanding of the destructive devices being removed, their triggering mechanisms, and the terrain. All this is done in 30-35 degree temperature, with the scorching sun overhead.

In late July, The Sunday Morning got exclusive access to accompany the platoon led by Lt. Madhusha Vithanage, Lt. Kavindi Wickramasinghe, and Lt. Sanduni Wasana while they carried out their task to rid the nation of the scourge of land mines.  

Following are excerpts:

Demining platoon Commanding Officer Lt. Madhusha Vithanage

How did you join this group of specialists and was demining something you had always wanted to do? 

I joined the SLA in 2019 and I was assigned to the Women’s Corps. When I joined, demining was not something I had thought of as a career path. 

After two years in the Women’s Corps, my commanding officer informed me that there was a new training opportunity, with plans being laid to form an all-woman demining team. It was something different from the role and tasks we normally performed, and I was keen to try out something new. So I stepped forward with my colleagues and we entered the new training programme.

Weren’t you concerned, since demining is a high-risk task and not one many people volunteer for? 

Yes, I was nervous when we commenced training; there were a lot of ‘unknowns’ and the risk is real. I was motivated to try it out as it was something different and not everyone could do it. I wanted to experience what it was and how demining happened. However, as the training progressed, the concerns I had gradually eased.

What was the goal of creating this unit and what was the training process like?

The decision to offer demining training for the Sri Lanka Women’s Corps had been taken by the Commander of the Army to improve inclusivity within the force, giving women soldiers a broader role. The Army also plans to have skilled deminers within its ranks to complete demining in Sri Lanka soon, and to also offer our expertise to other countries if needed through United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping operations.

The training programme was called the Humanitarian Demining Course, with simulation training which was carried out alongside. The programme was comprehensive and tough; it was almost one year-long and was carried out by expert sappers from the Sri Lanka Engineers Corps in Vavuniya. 

Throughout that year, the three of us (officers) and our platoon learnt a lot about demining, types of mines, and how to detect, map, and safely remove them. We were given the opportunity to train on practical aspects, with a focus on in field training which helps us to work in different terrain.

Lt. Kavindi Wickramasinghe

Given your expertise and experience, if you were given the opportunity to serve in another regiment, perhaps the Engineers Corps, would you be interested?

Yes, I would be interested, because I like the role we carry out now. I must admit I was nervous to work around explosives before our training. However, now, after practically carrying out demining and having felt the sense of accomplishment in being able to clear land for our people to resume cultivation and get on with their lives, I would be interested in such a change if the opportunity existed.

With the risks entailed by demining and working with explosives, what kind of support or challenges did you get from your homefront and friends?

When I told my parents that I wanted to apply for the demining course, my mother was very concerned and didn’t want me to take the risk. I persisted because I wanted to do something different, and eventually managed to win her over. Today, my family is proud of what we do. They are still concerned about the risk, but less worried.

Has the Women’s Corps been supportive of your team and the new role assigned to you?

Yes, the Women’s Corps was very supportive of us. The Colonel of our regiment looked into our needs and kept close contact with us throughout training and the current deployment. 

The Engineers Corps was also very helpful while we underwent training, and even now as we are deployed in the field. We have received encouragement and support from them.

You are currently clearing LTTE minefields laid around the Panikkankulam area in Mankulam. Is this your first minefield? How many mines have you removed from this site?

No, we worked in two fields before. We successfully demined sites in the Palaly West and Palaly East areas in Jaffna. This was during March and August of last year. Then we moved to the Kilinochchi District. The national plan is to rid Sri Lanka of land mines by 2028. We are eager to contribute to that effort. Once an area has been demined, civilians can return to them.

This field is in Panikkankulam and is at the edge of a forest reserve, so we have some limitations in demining here, as we can’t remove trees without permission. It complicates the process, but we comply and adjust to work accordingly. 

Today, from when we started (mid-June) we have removed and disposed of 468 Jony 95 anti-personnel mines and 62 UXOs from this site. The UXOs vary in type and size. They usually include unexploded hand grenades, mortars, RPG rockets, and Claymore mines, which are often used as booby traps. So each day is an interesting one. 

Once we have collected them, if the devices are unsafe to defuse manually, we have a blast pit constructed nearby where we carry out controlled detonation of the mines and UXOs.

Lt. Madhusha Vithanage

Demining is a laborious task and one that needs persistence and concentration. What kind of challenges do you face in carrying out this role?

We had many challenges when we commenced our duties. One of the biggest challenges is the climate, as we work mostly in shrubland where the temperature is high. The sunlight is intense. We carry out our duties wearing protective jackets and ballistic protection visors that weigh about 6 kg, and we don’t remove them while in the field. 

While we work, we also carry around nearly another 5 kg of tools and safety equipment, on top of which we take with us the mine detector/metal detector that weighs 4 kg. As such, our work, which commences at 6 a.m. every day and ends at 12 noon, is exhausting. Also, a majority of our work is done on our knees, which adds to the complexity of the physical challenge.  

We halt work at 12 noon because the heat, combined with high humidity, takes a toll on our deminers. Due to the high-risk nature of the work and the need to maintain focus, we break work at noon and recall the platoon from the field for rest. It is laborious work for women and the heat and sweating do create some issues, but we have grown accustomed to them and have developed safety mechanisms to overcome such issues.  

Can you describe how you carry out the demining process? What is work like?

We have an internationally practised method that we follow to ensure safety when we investigate, identify, and demine a minefield. First, we carry out probing searches and estimate the extent of the minefield laid down. We establish safe zones and rest areas and plan out the fastest casualty evacuation route, after which everyone is briefed on them. We all have basic first aid training and establish a first aid point near the evac route to treat casualties if needed.

In the field, we work in pairs, with the lead deminer, usually called Number 1, moving ahead inch by inch, clearing a one-metre-wide corridor. We mark them with colour-coded stakes and symbols, so that others know what to expect if they enter the channel. 

The mine detector we use has a Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) function which is very useful and we slowly advance the corridor with it. When we suspect a mine is found, we mark it and alert the second partner in the pair. Then we have a discussion (at a safe distance) on what type of mine it may be and whether Number 1 can remove it or needs assistance and proceed to remove it. On an average day, we remove about 8-10 mines and UXOs at this site.

Don’t you get tired? What do you do when you need a break?  

When we get tired, we take small breaks. Number 1 works for about 20-30 minutes and then swaps out with Number 2 if she has not found a mine. We can always ask for a break if we feel weak or feel that we’re losing focus. However, the work must go on; we want to make Sri Lanka mine-free as soon as possible. 

However, safety is our top priority. I am proud that more than a year into carrying out this high-risk role, we have not had a single accident or incident where anyone in our team has been harmed. This fact has steeled our nerves and made us confident that our approach is right. Our training has paid off; we have gained experience and work more efficiently.

Deminer Pte. H.B.S.I.K. Dissanayake removes an electronically triggered Jony 95 landmine which had been buried covered in plastic to make it waterproof, calling out to her colleague to collect it and move the ‘live mine’ to a disposal site

Removal of a live Jony 95 land mine 

Private Dissanayake alerted her command chain that she had detected a mine while we were on site and proceeded to remove it carefully. Dissanayake, on her knees, worked slowly and carefully to check for tripwires and began to remove the soil around the location of the mine once the suspect mine was marked with a red plastic disk. 

According to Lt. Vithanage and Lt. Wickramasinghe, a Jony 95 land mine, electronically fired, requires around 4-5 kg of weight on it to be triggered. As such, Dissanayake removed the soil around the mine and proceeded to remove soil in a downward inclination to check if there were any ‘anti-handling’ devices placed under the mine, which would trigger another mine close by. 

Once she was satisfied that there was no anti-handling device linked to the mine, Dissanayake slowly removed soil which had compacted over the years around the mine, taking care not to disturb it. She took a brief break, coming upright and stretching her spine to relax. 

The fact that mines like the Jony 95 come wrapped in a plastic (sili-sili) bag to make them waterproof adds to the work in making sure that the tools she uses do not snag on the bag and disturb the mine. After an arduous 22-minute effort, Dissanayake, who was on her knees, working in 32-degree heat, removed the mine and handed it over to her Number 2 to move to a safe zone.

When asked if she was nervous, Dissanayake, who is in her early 20s, said: “I was more worried about the ants biting my hands. If I lost concentration and wanted to scratch the skin bitten by ants, it could have been a tricky situation. But I could bear up and focus on removing the mine safely.”