De-miner blows whistle on clandestine sale of explosives and exploitation of women

A large number of de-miners in the North were selling explosives to hunters and others who engage in illegal activities, de-miner S. Udayakumar told the media on Wednesday, in Jaffna. He said that he had also written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa about it.

These de-miners steal a portion of explosives they recover while removing explosive devices and sell them to various parties. A network has been formed around the clandestine practice, Udayakumar says.

Udayakumar also said that a number of female de-miners had been sexually harassed by their supervisors. “We work in forest areas and often women are raped and harassed. If any woman objects, their supervisors will not extend their services. So, a lot of women suffer in silence. This is inhumane and selling explosives to criminals is bad for all of us. The President must intervene,” Udayakumar said.