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Show Mines From page 7 tims," Thompson said. Thompson read two stories about how landmines had affected children, in one case, a mother chained her 3-year-old child to a tree to keep her from venturing into the mine fields, unfortunately, the mother was killed by a landmine. In another case, a child was killed by a landmine when she went to fetch water from a river the mine had been washed down stream by heavy rains to the riverbank where the child encountered it. The Red Cross views the landmine as a weapon which is often used not in the original military objective, but to terrorize civilians and keep them from agricultural lands, according to a video shown at the presentation. "The International Committee of the Red Cross supports a total ban on the production, transportation, stockpiling and use of landmines," Elizabeth Chicado said. The ICRC launched a campaign against landmines in 1995; and the organization's position is that land mines are in violation of the Geneva Conventions. "What can we do? We can learn international humanitarian law," she said. "Often' the rules are not obeyed because they are not known. Only when people know and understand the law can we expect the to obey it." The International Committee of the Red Cross is an organization w hich is neutral and has no political agenda, Chicado said. The role of the organization is to protect the wounded and the civilians, reunite separated families and ensure the proper treatment of prisoners of war. The organization also operates by a body of rules and principles-humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary, service, unity and universality. The ICRC is also the guardian of the four conventions of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which has been ratified by 185 nations, making it the most widely ratified international treaty. "The Red Cross helps people based on neediness rather than worthiness," Chicado added. Chicado said education is the key to reversing the trend of international humanitarian law abuses. "The ICRC disseminates information to areas of conflict," she said. "In the cases of young combatants, how do they know about international humanitarian law? Who teaches them? The government educates the military, the ICRC educates the rest of thepopulation. ccs csc cc cc csc Jta xmmm M "Ilk. 11. II s . M Beyond The Grind has good stuff to win next week! If you want good i rr i -T-i s&& qti itt rppn hp it S-v., ..... V VI m .,. I W VlVl I I f NssSfc.s. if raw ...... -;iss;ys 'ntm ,m:.,x:t . .... tfk Grind. It's that simple. Pick up the paper! 4 d s7 7 mm Wildcat Lanes COME STRIKE OOT! t r J if. Head 6 em up, move 'em out Weber State University's ROTC students practiced their military skills in front of the social science building, Thursday. 1 i l 5 f l V 'ft WW? h .di . ... J' BCtv S ; I I i JJ J i u " 9,:, jV) . , toV , ' your yearly tuition bill is $2,000, you pay $200 per month beginning June I and $200 per month in each succeeding month. Interest free Requires a $40 annual fee Available through KeyBank USA Call l-800-KEY-LEND or WSU's Financial Aid Office at (80 1 ) 626-7569 for details Fall Semester begins August 3 I you WaBt Weber Sime University Visit us at wwwweber.edu or http:catsisweber.edufinanaalatdsemester.htm |