To reduce the risks of land mine and dangerous explosive remnants of war (ERWs), a course opened in Sittwe to raise public awareness on landmine risk and safe behavior.

The two-day training took place on 20 and 21 July at the Sittwe Hotel, it was sponsored by UNICEF.

Other courses will be offered in different regions by the trainers who already completed the course, said Ko Tun Nyein Zaw, assistant township education officer from Mrauk-U Township.

“After this course, I will instruct teachers from 30 schools in our township. We have a plan to deliver landmine risk education courses to the public through students so that we could reduce landmine hazards in the region,” he said.

A total of 34 people from Sittwe, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon, Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships attended the course.

U Zaw Min Naing, assistant township education officer, who attended the course, said that the course would support local people by providing information about the detriments of landmines and how to avoid them.

“Within a six-month period, we have had fatalities from landmines. Recently, two middle school students died after playing with a bomb they found. So, we must educate the people in our region to reduce such incidents,” he said.

In Arakan State, local residents died or received injuries because of explosion of landmine and ERWs.