Canadian Embassy supports anti-land mine campaign

Canadian Embassy supports anti-land mine campaign

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Canadian Embassy in Jakarta will hold a fund-raising dinner
on Thursday in support of the global campaign to ban land mines.

The event, called "a Night of a Thousand Dinners" is aimed to
promote global awareness about the dangers of land mines and
raise funds for the campaign to support the ratification process
of the Ottawa Convention to Ban Land mines, Canadian Ambassador
to Indonesia Randolph Mank said in a statement sent to The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Mank said that the event would be significant as it is being
held just after the return of Indonesia's delegates -- who
include diplomats, officials, legislators and civil society
representatives -- from the Nairobi Land mines Summit.

"Our dinner this year will focus primarily on demonstrating
support for Indonesian governmental and non-governmental
initiatives underway to promote the ratification of the Ottawa
Convention," Mank said.

"I hope this event will raise awareness of the importance of
this convention and the need to ban the use of this weapon in the
region," he said.

Each participant of the dinner can support the campaign by
donating Rp 200,000 (US$22).

This year's Night of a Thousand Dinners, which originally
started in 2001. is expected to be attended by ministers,
diplomats, businessmen and activists.

The first Indonesian Night of a Thousand Dinners was held in
June 2003.

Indonesia, a country which is neither affected by land mines
nor produces them, signed the Ottawa Convention in 1997.
Indonesia is in the process of ratifying the convention.