Indian Civil society joins the global effort to ban Cluster Bombs. The Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs is being observed on April 19 this year.
India, Republic of (Press Release) April 18, 2008 --
In the killing fields of Iraq or Afghanistan, Bosnia or Lebanon one weapon which has proved particularly cruel in claiming lives and maiming people for a long time is the weapon called cluster bomb or cluster munitions.
A cluster bomb is a weapon containing multiple explosive submunitions. Cluster munitions consist of containers and submunition. Launched from the ground or air the containers open and disperse bomb-lets over a wide area. Several dozen or even several hundred bomblets can be spread in this way in an area with a radius of up to 600 meters. These contain high explosive power with a lot of capacity for metal fragmentation, increasing the possibility of multiple casualties.
Apart from their destructive potential at the time of war, these bomb-lets which spread over a wide area can continue to kill and maim civilian people, including children, for a long time after a war has ended. Fear of cluster bombs inhibits people from using agricultural fields, or accessing schools and hospitals. As a single cluster bomb contains a such a large number of bomblets, the possibility remains high that every cluster bomb leaves behind at least some unexploded ordnance. The percentage of civilian causalities is known to be extremely high in the case of cluster bombs.
Almost all the major military powers of the world - at present about 34 countries in all- are known to produce cluster bombs including India. As many as 73 countries stockpile cluster munition.Keeping in view the enormous destructiveness of cluster weapons particularity for civilians, efforts as being made to draw up an international treaty to prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. This treaty should be completely non-discriminatory and should apply equally to all countries. Such efforts deserve wide support.
Please join us for a Press Conference on this issue at the Global Day of 'Action to ban cluster bombs' is being observed on April 19, 2008 at Conference Hall No 3, India International Centre (Annexe), Near Lodhi Gardens, 40 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi 110003. The programme starts at 09.00am. The press conference is scheduled at 12.45 pm.You can find more information about the programme on www.cafi-online.org.
For more details, please contact Ms Binalakshmi Nepram at 9891210264 Email: binalakshmi@gmail.com or Mr Trilochan Pandey at 9958440807 Email: gremind@gmail.com
In the killing fields of Iraq or Afghanistan, Bosnia or Lebanon one weapon which has proved particularly cruel in claiming lives and maiming people for a long time is the weapon called cluster bomb or cluster munitions.
A cluster bomb is a weapon containing multiple explosive submunitions. Cluster munitions consist of containers and submunition. Launched from the ground or air the containers open and disperse bomb-lets over a wide area. Several dozen or even several hundred bomblets can be spread in this way in an area with a radius of up to 600 meters. These contain high explosive power with a lot of capacity for metal fragmentation, increasing the possibility of multiple casualties.
Apart from their destructive potential at the time of war, these bomb-lets which spread over a wide area can continue to kill and maim civilian people, including children, for a long time after a war has ended. Fear of cluster bombs inhibits people from using agricultural fields, or accessing schools and hospitals. As a single cluster bomb contains a such a large number of bomblets, the possibility remains high that every cluster bomb leaves behind at least some unexploded ordnance. The percentage of civilian causalities is known to be extremely high in the case of cluster bombs.
Almost all the major military powers of the world - at present about 34 countries in all- are known to produce cluster bombs including India. As many as 73 countries stockpile cluster munition.Keeping in view the enormous destructiveness of cluster weapons particularity for civilians, efforts as being made to draw up an international treaty to prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. This treaty should be completely non-discriminatory and should apply equally to all countries. Such efforts deserve wide support.
Please join us for a Press Conference on this issue at the Global Day of 'Action to ban cluster bombs' is being observed on April 19, 2008 at Conference Hall No 3, India International Centre (Annexe), Near Lodhi Gardens, 40 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi 110003. The programme starts at 09.00am. The press conference is scheduled at 12.45 pm.You can find more information about the programme on www.cafi-online.org.
For more details, please contact Ms Binalakshmi Nepram at 9891210264 Email: binalakshmi@gmail.com or Mr Trilochan Pandey at 9958440807 Email: gremind@gmail.com
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