A group of activists has launched a grassroots anti-landmine campaign in the mostly Kurdish populated southeastern part of Turkey where landmines and other abandoned explosives have killed hundreds of people since the beginning of the war in 1984.

"Women and children continue to die at an alarming rate because of explosives that were planted during the war," said Rojbin Tugan, spokeswoman for the Hakkari Anti-Landmine Awareness Campaign.

"Although clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK militants have subsided, the landmines still cast a dark shadow over our future."

Local hospital officials estimate that at least 50 people, mostly women and children, have died or been wounded this year alone as a result of landmines and abandoned unexploded ordinances in the Hakkari province.

Most recently, two children and an adult were killed and three others wounded in an explosion on October 5, 2004 in the Gelisen village of the Semdinli district in Hakkari, on October 5, 2004

"You cannot walk down the streets of Hakkari without seeing a child who has lost an arm or a leg to a landmine or a buried grenade," she said.

"Every week more children are maimed, adding to the toll of little innocent victims."

There are no known statistics or maps that show the number and locations of these planted and abandoned explosive devices. The group plans to conduct research to identify dangerous areas, keep statistics on casualties, and launch a public awareness campaign aimed at educating women and children on how to recognize and avoid dangerous places.

Adding to the urgency of the situation are the pending plans to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Kurds who were displaced during the war. The European Commission, in its October 6, 2004 report, urged Turkey to facilitate and expedite this process with international cooperation.

But unless there is an extensive survey and removal effort throughout the region, such a move could have devastating consequences, with the number of casualties from hidden bombs certain to increase when destroyed villages are repopulated, Tugan said.

The Hakkari Anti-Landmine Awareness Campaign is appealing to the Turkish government to heed the calls by the Commission, make good on its commitments under the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty and sign other relevant international conventions and make the necessary changes in the country's laws.

The group is also seeking aid, expertise and solidarity from local and international human rights activists and anti-landmine campaigners. (RT/YE)