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Another bullet proof Benz
This story may qualify as an entry to Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
After Alia's exposure last week that the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri, had 24 vehicles for his personal use, twice that of the Navy's eleven gunboats, comes another revelation.

For over six months, the Sri Lanka Navy has been negotiating with the Colombo based mission of a powerful Asian nation, to purchase their bullet proof Mercedes Benz. The price, without payment of duty, had been fixed at Rs 1.5 million.

Whether the Navy wanted to seek duty exemption or pay the duty is not clear.

But late this week, a letter was to go from Navy Headquarters to the High Commission concerned. The Navy says it wants to cancel the deal since it has no funds to buy the latest bullet proof Benz for the Commander.

Or was the move prompted by Alia's disclosure last week?

Police comm. sets for airport work

Thirty communication sets from the Police, used exclusively for Police work, have been now handed over to a group of non-Police personnel.

Insiders say it was handed over by a one time controversial top cop to a senior official at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

It is for airport security work. They say the men concerned want to be in a position to enter the Police communications network in an emergency.

Top guerrilla leader dies
A Tiger guerrilla, who survived many a covert assassination attempt, (not through the now well known Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, LRRPs), died in Malaysia two weeks ago.

"Colonel Raju," a close confidant of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who successfully innovated the use of remote controlled devices used in toys to trigger explosions, was suffering from cancer. He had been evacuated from Wanni by boat to Malaysia after his condition worsened.

Raju's ashes were flown to Sri Lanka and Mr. Prabhakaran paid his respects at a secret location in the Puthukuddiyiruppu area.

"Colonel Raju" is credited with raising the "Kittu Regiment," the first artillery unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam . He was also head of the "Leopard Commandos," a specialised guerrilla infantry unit.

Acting Air Chief
Air Commodore Laksen Salgado, Director (Operations) of the Sri Lanka Air Force, is overlooking the work of the Air Force Commander.

Air Vice Marshal Donald Perera is away in Singapore on a private visit. Though next in line, Air Commodore Salgado, has not been appointed so far as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. However, he has now been called upon to overlook the duties of the Commander.

Just fancy that
At a press conference at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel last Friday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was asked whether the ongoing peace initiative would result in a decline in military spending.

He said the military cuts will be gradual. And as part of the confidence building measures, he added, the government will phase out its heavy expenditures on weapons purchases.

Alluding to the capture of government arms by the LTTE, he said "We are not only paying for arms we have purchased but also for those taken by the LTTE."

"At one time, they were firing artillery at us, and we were still paying for that artillery," Premier Wickremesinghe said amidst laughter.

They went through
A move by road by some one hundred Tiger guerrilla cadres from Trincomalee to Vavuniya was the cause for concern by some Army top brass.

So much so, orders went out that they should not be allowed to proceed until permission is obtained and other formalities are followed.

Just the day after the order went out from the boss in Trincomalee came the bad news.

The guerrillas had in fact carried out the move. It took place the very morning after orders went out.

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