After 38 long years, the last inaccessible piece of land has opened in the Falklands – a sandy beach. Until now, people had been barred from entering there because there was a great danger that the landmine would maim or kill them. This weekend, children could go to the beach for the first time. The last localized explosive was detonated by pyrotechnicians before the ceremony in front of people.
“It simply came to our notice then. I was still too small before the war, so for the first time. Fantastic beach, huge beach. It’s great for us, “said Lee Molkenbuhr, a Falklander resident. “I’m on a cloud, because it all went well, without accidents,” added John Hare, SafeLane Global’s technical director.
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Since 2009, more than a hundred specialists, mostly from Zimbabwe, have worked on demining Falkland. They had to work hard to find the charges by hand. Due to the wind, they could not use trained rats, which proved themselves in Africa. “It’s amazing to lead any project from start to finish, but here’s the feeling that we’ve been involved in history,” said Guy Marot, the demining program manager.
Message from Prince William
Mines in the Falklands have been around since 1982, when the archipelago was occupied militarily by Argentina. She lost the subsequent 72-day war, but large parts of the islands remained inaccessible after her intervention. The people of the islands were also greeted by Prince William, whose mother, Lady Diana, advocated a worldwide ban on mines.
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The destruction of 20,000 Falkland mines cost £ 36 million. The government in London has pledged to spend the same amount on mine clearance in other countries, including Zimbabwe, whose experts account for the largest share of the Falkland Islands.
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