Landmines ravage lives in Myanmar amid conflicts: Video

The 52-year-old stepped on a landmine near his village, an explosion that left him permanently disabled and unable to support his family.

"When I stepped on the landmine, I passed out," he recalled. "When I woke up, the sky and trees were spinning. From that instant, you are disabled; nothing is the same as before," he told the AFP.

Hla Han is one of hundreds of victims of landmines scattered across Myanmar, a deadly legacy of decades of conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups.

According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Myanmar recorded more landmine casualties in 2023 than any other country, surpassing war-torn Syria and Ukraine.

The ICBL's latest report revealed that at least 228 people were killed and 770 others injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance in Myanmar last year. The ongoing civil war, sparked by the military’s 2021 coup, has intensified the problem as new factions like the "People's Defence Forces" battle the junta, adding to the numerous mines laid across the countryside.

For families like Hla Han’s, the consequences are devastating. "Everything is different and difficult after my father lost his leg," said his daughter, Aye Mar. "When he was able to work, we didn't need to worry about anything."

In northern Shan state, 77-year-old Yar Swe Kyin urged her husband, Tar Swe Kyin, not to visit their fields on July 7, a day marked as inauspicious in the Burmese calendar. He insisted on checking their rented farmland and never returned.

Survivors like Hla Han emphasise the urgent need to clear landmines before displaced families can return safely.