Life at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp can be a challenge for most able-bodied men, but Zaw Lun, 60, stepped on a landmine while on his way to work at a farm. This resulted in an amputation to his right leg below the knee.
“It was a familiar route that others had taken. It was on the way from the old village to the farm. Villagers always tried to avoid a clump of bamboo trees there because they had heard there were landmines in the area. That’s where I stepped on [it],” said Zaw Lun.
At Laiza Hospital, he had his leg amputated and received treatment. Three months after being discharged from the hospital in 2022, he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. “Before I received my prosthesis, I couldn’t even sit comfortably on the toilet. I had to depend on my family to assist me,” he added.
Zaw Lun’s story of how he overcame adversity reflects the challenges faced by civilians during the conflict in Kachin State. Even if fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA) and the military ends, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and landmines will remain.
“Removing landmines after deployment is not easy. Even with demining efforts, it’s nearly impossible to clear every single one. Some may inevitably remain,” said Zaw Lun.
Another landmine survivor is doing push-ups on a hospital bed. Even though Kay Two, 25, is missing a leg, he can still demonstrate his strength to friends while doctors and nurses are out of sight.
“We arrived in the jungle shortly after the [2021] military coup. At that time, we received only 15 days of training,” said Kay Two. He led an operation to capture a military outpost. While his unit was advancing to seize the base, Kay Two stepped on a landmine at 1:30 pm – a time forever etched into his mind.
“At that moment, I truly believed I was going to die. When I initially stepped on the landmine, I thought I had lost my entire lower body. My comrades rushed to rescue me,” he said.
Kay Two was taken to the hospital. One of his legs had to be amputated, like Zaw Lun. But he was more concerned about whether he’d be able to join his unit to continue the fight missing one leg.
He now waits for his prosthesis at the hospital and says he wants to raise awareness about the dangers posed by ERW and landmines. “Many civilians in our area have been injured by landmines. They have been hurt by landmines laid by both sides. Civilians are the most vulnerable in war.”
The U.N. International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) stated last month that the number of people in Myanmar affected by ERW and landmines in the first three months of 2024 has reached 339 nationwide.
Myanmar ranks fifth among countries with the highest death rates due to landmines worldwide. As armed conflict spreads to even more villages and towns across the country since the uprising against the 2021 military coup continues, the dangers posed by landmines and ERWs continue.
