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.