Yesterday (11th January, 2024) HALO Sri Lanka was delighted to welcome HRH Princess Anne. Her Royal Highness visited HALO’s operations on the Jaffna Peninsula, where our teams have cleared 78,000 landmines from Muhamalai—the largest minefield in the country. During the final stages of Sri Lanka’s protracted civil war, Muhamalai was the Forward Defense Line between the Sri Lankan Army and Tamil Tiger forces. Tens of thousands of landmines were laid by both sides, forming a minefield the size of 1,470 football pitches (10.5km sq).
Programme Manager, Stephen Hall, briefs HRH Princess Anne
During her visit, The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, met local men and women trained by HALO to clear the mines. In total, across the northern districts of Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna, HALO Sri Lanka has safely destroyed over one million items of explosive ordnance, including over a quarter of a million anti-personnel mines.
Her Royal Highness then met Rasathurai Nallaiah and his wife Kesavi Rasathurai who have eight children. The family had to leave their land during the civil war, but have now been able to return and rebuild a home on part of the cleared former minefield. They showed Her Royal Highness their goats and the yams they are able to grow on their small holding.
HRH Princess Anne meets the Rasathurai family who have rebuilt their home on cleared land
The Princess Royal meets with HALO's team
