Quite literally.

The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) is charged with removing and destroying persistent landmines worldwide. A persistent land mine is one that remains active after the conflict it was deployed for is over. It can also mean a landmine that remains active in an area where it is no longer needed. A persistent landmine is "always on". The US is now using landmines that self destruct or deactivate after a set period of time or can be remotely neutralized as necessary.

PM/WRA also seeks to curb the proliferation of landmines used by national militaries, terrorist organizations and organized crime.

As of February 2004, the US policy on landmines states that the US will:
- eliminate all persistent landmines from its arsenal;
- continue to develop non-persistent (self-destructing/self-deactivating) landmines that will not pose a humanitarian threat after use in battle;
- continue to research and develop enhancements to the current self-destructing/self-deactivating landmine technology in order to develop and preserve military capabilities that address the United States transformational goals;
- seek a worldwide ban on the sale or export of all persistent landmines;
- get rid of its non-detectable mines within one year;
- only employ persistent anti-vehicle mines outside of Korea between now and 2010, if needed, when authorized by the President;
- not use any persistent landmines -- neither anti-personnel nor anti-vehicle -- anywhere after 2010;
- begin the destruction within two years of those persistent landmines not needed for the protection of Korea;
- seek a 50 percent increase in the U.S. Department of State's portion of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program over Fiscal Year 2003 baseline levels to $70 million a year.

Currently, the US has no active persistent mine fields.

In 1988 the US became one of the first countries to support humanitarian demining efforts by funding programs in Afghanistan. Since 1993, the US has contributed over $800 million in 46 countries toward to neutralization of deployed landmines and decommissioning of stockpiles. PM/WRA and the US Department of Defense routinely offer training, equipment and personnel worldwide to further reduce the harm caused by persistent landmines.

It is good to hear this. American landmines still litter Cambodia and Children are dieing from explosion frequently. Perhaps they should start clearing the mines there first.

More bombs were dropped on this small peasant region than were dropped on all of Germany in World War Two ( Killing the Khmer by Colin Pratt.)

Wasn't this something Princess Diana was concerned with? Didn't she try to get belligerent countries to seek out and destroy active landmines in Africa in her effort to protect children?

American made landmines, yes, but not American mine fields. The mines belong to the Cambodian government, the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin, the Hun Sen, the Vietnamese, the Khmer People's National Liberation Front, and the Sihanoukists. Landmines manufactured in nearly every country that manufactures landmines have been found in Cambodia.

Now days, landmines are being cleared from Cambodia by many nations. A host of US, Cambodian and international organizations have been and continue to demine Cambodia. The American Red Cross treats landmine victims.

These deminers face some problems though. One problem is Cambodians. Criminals and police have used surplus landmines or mines they have dug up themselves against one another. Cambodian landowners have set up their own private mine fields. Documentation of where these mines are is scarce and unreliable.

Aint says mines belong to the "Cambodian government, the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin, the Hun Sen, the Vietnamese, the Khmer People's National Liberation Front, and the Sihanoukists. Landmines manufactured in nearly every country that manufactures landmines have been found in Cambodia."

It may be true that some of these small bodies laid a few land mines but most of the land mines found in Cambodia were laid by Americans or thier supporters.. The mass bombing were done by the American who alone had a viable airforce.The Americans also backed the South Vietnamese army in its invasion of Cambonia and the royal government. They were both proxies of the Americans. It was the American B52s that carpet bomb the Cambonian pesent farms , blowing huge craters in the paddies, rendering them useless when filled with rain for growing the staple rice. Many Americans are not aware of this as it was done in secret without even declaring war.

I am not saying this was worst than Pol Pot and the Khmir Rouge but it did make it possible for this to emerge.It brutalised the peasantry which the Khmer Rouge had little difficulty recruiting and made them accept the savage ,shbboleths handed down by the remote leadership, who demanded unthinking immediate obediance to most bizarre of orders.

It is true Princess Diana supported this campaign or removing land mines and many people including American have trired to clear unexploded land mines. However children are still being killed .

Not a few. The vast majority. Most of the landmines in Cambodia were laid between 1979 and 1991.

It is estimated that there are 4-6 million, maybe up to 10 million, live landmines still buried in Cambodia.

Since 1993, the United States has provided approximately $1 billion for reducing the threat posed by land mines left in the ground after conflicts end. That figure represents between one-third and one-half of all the money invested worldwide on mine action by donor nations, according to the State Department.

In 2002, the American Red Cross produced 710 prostheses, and distributed 703 orthesis, 202 wheelchairs and 1,056 walking aids for landmine victims in Cambodia.

In 2006, The US pledged nearly $1.9 million to support landmine clearing programs in Nicaragua, Honduras and Chile.

Is the manufacturer and their country, cleared of any moral responsibility for possible use of the mines, once the sale is completed?

If they are not, what do you propose their responsibility should be and how should that be enforced?