Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Bangladesh does not produce or export mines, but maintains a stockpile of antipersonnel landmines and insists on the right to use them, citing security considerations. There are uncleared landmines along the Burma/Myanmar border. The Bangladesh army has several battalions with mine clearing capability. They have cleared landmines on international peacekeeping operations, including in Kuwait and in Cambodia.
Although Bangladesh co-sponsored UNGA Resolution 51/45 S, it did not endorse the Brussels Declaration and attended the Oslo negotiations only as an observer.
Cyprus (Nicosia)
There is a problem of uncleared landmines from the 1974 hostilities on the island. Both the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot forces consider the minefields under their control as integral to their defense. There are 132 confirmed minefields on the island but there are likely to be other undeclared sites.
Most mines found in Cyprus are of U.S. origin, such as the M-16A2. Most of these mines are deployed in mixed anti-personnel/anti-tank configurations of six to twenty mines each and located in or near the buffer zone which separates Greek Cypriot and Turkish forces, and along North-South roads. There have also been some post-1974 minefields laid around strategic installations. Some are clearly marked, while others are not. There have been civilian casualties. A U.N. initiative to use Canadian engineers for demining in 1992 failed because the Cypriot communities failed to reach agreement.
The U.S. government has identified Cyprus as a producer of antipersonnel landmines, though the government of Cyprus denies it. Cyprus was a co-sponsor of UNGA Resolution 51/45S, but did not endorse the Brussels declaration and did not attend the Oslo negotiations.
India (New Delhi)
There is a problem of uncleared landmines along the India/Pakistan border in Kashmir and along the India/China border. India produces two U.S.-designed antipersonnel mines (M-14 and M16A1). Although India is not known to have exported mines, it declared a moratorium on antipersonnel landmine exports on March 5, 1996. India states that it supports the use of antipersonnel landmines for self-defense in demarcated fields and along international borders. India favors a ban on randomly deployed mines and on the use of antipersonnel landmines in internal conflicts. India announced in October 1996 that it would continue to produce antipersonnel landmines for domestic use, and has no plans to destroy existing stockpiles. It did, however, vote "Yes" on UNGA Resolution 51/45. India did not endorse the Brussels declaration and attended the Oslo negotiations only as an observer.
Pakistan (Islamabad)
There is not a significant problem of uncleared landmines, but there are numbers of antipersonnel landmines along its disputed border with India in Kashmir. Pakistan is a producer of antipersonnel landmines. Pakistan's state-owned Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) earned a reputation as one of the most enthusiastic promoters of antipersonnel landmines and a wide range of other ordnance, munitions and small arms products. Sales literature for the firm's low cost (unit price $6.75) P4 Mk.2 stresses the careful calculation of the explosive charge to "make the man disabled and incapacitate him permanently" because "operating research has shown that it is better to disable the enemy than kill him." Pakistan produces six types of antipersonnel landmines, the: P2 Mk2; P3 Mk2; P4 Mk1; P5 Mk1; P5 Mk2 and the P7 Mk1.
According to one expert, Pakistan appears to have been the largest supplier, by a wide margin, of mines deployed in Somaliland, but relatively little is currently known about the other customers. Pakistani mines have also been found in Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
On March 18, 1997 Pakistan declared a unilateral moratorium on its exports of antipersonnel landmines. It is currently converting all mines in its stockpile to detectible ones, as prescribed under Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
Pakistan maintains that antipersonnel landmines are important as a defensive weapon. It opposes a global ban unless "viable alternatives" are developed. Pakistan was one of ten nations to abstain on UNGA Resolution 51/45. It did not endorse the Brussels declaration and attended the Oslo negotiations only as an observer.
Singapore (Singapore)
Singapore, like Pakistan, is one of the major antipersonnel landmine producers in the developing world. Singapore's landmines are produced by Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS), one of four groups of defense firms controlled by the state-owned Sheng-Li Holding Company, and through Sheng-Li by the Singapore Ministry of Defense. Sheng-Li's military subsidiaries have grown from a single plant opened in 1967 to a complex network of production, service and marketing companies. CIS sales arm, Unicorn International, maintains offices in London, Dubai and Brunei. They produce and market two antipersonnel mines originated by Italy's Valsella. Press reports identified Singapore as one of the conduits for sales of Valsella-designed mines to Iraq and a partly-declassified U.S. Army Intelligence study confirms that the Singapore-made mines were found in Iraqi arsenals. Singapore produces the SPM-1 (like the Italian VS-50) and the Valmara 69.
In May 1996 Singapore declared a two-year limited moratorium on exports of non-self destruct and non-detectable antipersonnel mines. However, it has maintained that antipersonnel landmines are needed for "legitimate self-defense." Singapore voted "Yes" on UNGA Resolution 51/45S, but did not endorse the Brussels declaration and attended the Oslo negotiations only as an observer.
Sri Lanka (Colombo)
Both the government and separatist Tamil Tigers have used mines during this decade and a half-long insurgency, particularly in the northern and eastern regions. The separatists mine routes used by government troops. The separatists use mines captured from government forces and also manufacture their own improvised version, known as a Johnny-mine.
Sri Lanka voted 'Yes' on UNGA Resolution, but did not endorse the Brussels declaration and attended the Oslo negotiations only as an observer.