Army’s gross ignorance on the land mine accord exposed
In a fashion akin to that of Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist, the paid hacks of 11th IB are incessantly repeating the lie in their radio programs that the NPA violated the Ottawa Convention in employing command-detonated explosives in tactical offensives..
No matter how many times this lie is repeated, it will not change the fact that command-detonated explosives are not and will be never be like anti-personnel landmines prohibited under the Ottawa Convention and the NDF-GRP Comprehensive Agreement of the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) that arbitrarily kills and does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Command-detonated explosives are legitimate weapons of a poor’s man army like the NPA. It will only detonate when switched on by a trained operator under the strict supervision of NPA units’ military commanders and political officers. And it will only strike at military targets like vehicles, fortifications, troop positions and others military facilities.
Meanwhile, landmines will instantly detonate when tripped by anybody, may it civilian or military. Thus, equating command-detonated explosives with anti-personnel landmines is a blatant lie and grave distortion to the substance of the Ottawa Convention.
In a vain effort to score some political points,, 11th IB paid hacks and its leadership are only exposing themselves to be grossly ignorant to the fundamental principles and substance of the aforesaid international anti-personnel landmine accord. ###