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Troops start border mission to remove thousands of mines
By Xu Wei and Li Yingqing in Maguan, Yunnan
PLA soldiers equipped with metal detectors are the first group to be dispatched into the mine fields on Nov 2. (Photos by Xu Wei / China Daily)
China began a mission in Yunnan province on the border with Vietnam on Tuesday to remove more than 470,000 mines before the end of 2017.
The mission is aimed at ensuring residents' safety and opening up more border areas.
People's Liberation Army soldiers from the Chengdu Military Area Command will remove mines that remain buried in mountainous areas and dense forests in the border areas, which are home to about 50,000 people.
More than 400 soldiers from the area command have begun a sweeping and clearance campaign in 95 minefields covering 51.9 square kilometers in the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture and Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture.
The mission follows two previous large-scale mine clearances along the border conducted from 1992 to 1994 and 1997 to 1999.
Zhou Xiaozhou, deputy commander of Chengdu Military Area Command, said the latest mission is more challenging than the previous ones.
Soldiers stand by for their next mission of the day.
The soldiers took part in drills in August as part of preparatory work. Many of them also have experience in demining operations during United Nations peacekeeping duties and the two previous missions in China.
Most of the mines targeted in the current operation were laid during the border conflict between China and Vietnam in the 1980s, according to the area command.
In some minefields that are easier to access, engineers will rely on unmanned clearance vehicles to comb the area before sending in troops with metal detectors. Flamethrowers will also be used to destroy the mines.
Zhang Zhongjun, a sergeant leading a mine detection squad near Laoshan Mountain in Wenshan, said he still feels nervous when he enters minefields, despite the rigorous training he has undergone.
"The real situation is much more complex, and we have no idea what to expect," the 22-year-old said.
The soldiers also have to make their way up steep mountains wearing heavy protection gear.
Cheng Dengquan, a lieutenant colonel leading a mine-sweeping company operating on Laoshan Mountain, said most of the minefields have become unstable.
The mountainous terrain and dense forests are other major challenges to conquer, as they restrict the use of high-tech equipment such as demining robots, he said.
"We also don't have accurate positions for where the mines are located, so we have to painstakingly comb through the areas."
The mines along the Sino-Vietnamese border have posed a continuous threat to human life and livestock since the 1980s. In Wenshan alone, there have been 81 incidents involving landmine explosions since 2000, leaving 12 people dead and injuring 76, according to the Yunnan Military Area Command.
By Xu Wei and Li Yingqing in Maguan, Yunnan
PLA soldiers equipped with metal detectors are the first group to be dispatched into the mine fields on Nov 2. (Photos by Xu Wei / China Daily)
China began a mission in Yunnan province on the border with Vietnam on Tuesday to remove more than 470,000 mines before the end of 2017.
The mission is aimed at ensuring residents' safety and opening up more border areas.
People's Liberation Army soldiers from the Chengdu Military Area Command will remove mines that remain buried in mountainous areas and dense forests in the border areas, which are home to about 50,000 people.
More than 400 soldiers from the area command have begun a sweeping and clearance campaign in 95 minefields covering 51.9 square kilometers in the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture and Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture.
The mission follows two previous large-scale mine clearances along the border conducted from 1992 to 1994 and 1997 to 1999.
Zhou Xiaozhou, deputy commander of Chengdu Military Area Command, said the latest mission is more challenging than the previous ones.
Soldiers stand by for their next mission of the day.
The soldiers took part in drills in August as part of preparatory work. Many of them also have experience in demining operations during United Nations peacekeeping duties and the two previous missions in China.
Most of the mines targeted in the current operation were laid during the border conflict between China and Vietnam in the 1980s, according to the area command.
In some minefields that are easier to access, engineers will rely on unmanned clearance vehicles to comb the area before sending in troops with metal detectors. Flamethrowers will also be used to destroy the mines.
Zhang Zhongjun, a sergeant leading a mine detection squad near Laoshan Mountain in Wenshan, said he still feels nervous when he enters minefields, despite the rigorous training he has undergone.
"The real situation is much more complex, and we have no idea what to expect," the 22-year-old said.
The soldiers also have to make their way up steep mountains wearing heavy protection gear.
Cheng Dengquan, a lieutenant colonel leading a mine-sweeping company operating on Laoshan Mountain, said most of the minefields have become unstable.
The mountainous terrain and dense forests are other major challenges to conquer, as they restrict the use of high-tech equipment such as demining robots, he said.
"We also don't have accurate positions for where the mines are located, so we have to painstakingly comb through the areas."
The mines along the Sino-Vietnamese border have posed a continuous threat to human life and livestock since the 1980s. In Wenshan alone, there have been 81 incidents involving landmine explosions since 2000, leaving 12 people dead and injuring 76, according to the Yunnan Military Area Command.
