Odds & Ends

Air Force top brass are trying to find a pleasant way out for a man who has been responsible for some unpleasant utterances. They want to ensure a quiet exit for Wing Commander Ajantha de Silva who caused a storm by saying the public should find safe places in their own homes if there are any more Tiger guerrilla attacks. That is not all. He declared some in the Air Force sold information to the media for money. Little wonder LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran and his cohorts would have been delighted at that official admission that there were those corrupt in the Air Force.

One move is to send Wing Commander de Silva as Sri Lanka's Defence Attache to Pakistan. That is to succeed Air Commodore Kapila Jayampathi who is returning to Colombo at the end of his tenure of office.

Some colleagues of Wing Commander de Silva at the Air Force do not seem to have lost their sense of humour. One of them said the Air Force spokesman need not fear to serve in Pakistan. Even if he is to take part in talk shows, they would be mostly in Urdu, a language he was not familiar with.

Concrete measures

With all the talk of more air raids by Tiger guerrillas, one controversial top man, who loves the limelight, has got down to taking his own air defence measures.

Over his well guarded, concrete-walled house new construction work is now under way. A thick concrete slab is being placed over his home in a very well fortified complex to prevent any bombs falling from the air.

No info at entrance

There are many offices housed at the BMICH but there is absolutely no information at the entrance on where each of the offices are.

Visitors have to go round in circles trying to find an office with the policemen manning the police post having no idea where a particular office is.

It would be sensible to put up a board indicating at least on which floor each of the offices are housed. After all, several important Government offices including the Peace Secretariat and Mihin Air have moved in there now.