The Situation Report

01st November 1998

CBK sets Jaya Sikurui on professional course

By Iqbal Athas

The shock waves that went reeling down the country's political and defence establishments after the Kilinochchi debacle just a month ago has begun to have its sequel.

The most significant of them all is the fact that President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who is also the Commander-in- Chief, has taken personal control of the situation as revealed in these columns in the past weeks.

If the days after the worst incident in the 17-year-long separatist war saw her personally talking to officers in the battle areas to obtain a first hand assessment, she also presided at lengthy sessions of the National Security Council. After taking stock of the sequence of events that led to the sad events and the conduct of "Operation Jaya Sikurui" (Victory Assured), now on its 18th month, she has now initiated a series of new measures.

As exclusively revealed in these columns last week, Major General Asoka Jayawardena has been named as Security Forces Commander, Jaffna, to succeed Major General Lionel Balagalle.

Maj. Gen. Balagalle takes over as the new Security Forces Commander, Wanni. In that capacity, the conduct of "Operation Jaya Sikurui", as well as security matters in the Wanni sector, will become his responsibility.

Major General Lohan Gunawardena has been named as Deputy SF Commander, Jaffna and Major General Neil Dias as Deputy Security Forces Commander, Wanni.

These changes will officially come into effect from today. However, they are not likely to be fully effective until another week or two in view of the routine handing over and taking over procedures. In addition to these changes, hand picked officers have been named as Commanders for Brigades 51, 53, 54 and 56. The ongoing censorship prevents the mention of their names.

Major General Srilal Weerasuriya has relinquished his office as Overall Operations Commander (OOC) from yesterday. He will revert to his substantive rank as Chief of Staff. He is due to be promoted Lieutenant General and is to take over as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army on December 15.

President Chandrika Bandaranaike, defence sources say, is yet to make a final decision on the proposed Joint Operations Command (JOC) of the security forces and the Police. The idea is for such a command to collectively plan and execute counter terrorist operations and related activity. The move is being strongly opposed by Deputy Defence Minister, Gen. Ratwatte, who has been laying down time tables and personally directing the operations – a move that has met with bitter protests from the senior sections of the security establishment.

The various measures initiated cannot be spelt out for obvious reasons. But as revealed in The Sunday Times last week, a renewed strategy is expected to be among them. An important feature is the assurance that has been given to the security forces top brass that unrealistic time tables would not be placed on them nor would there be any pressure to rush them. It has also been made clear, however, that the Government does expect them to produce results within their own time frames and the strategies worked out.

The new measures came as intelligence reports warned the Government of increasing signs by the LTTE not only to destabilise the Jaffna peninsula but also to isolate it by cutting off air and sea links to Jaffna. This is whilst efforts to establish a land based Main Supply Route to the peninsula has not only caused both human and material losses but has not been accomplished even after 18 long months. The move naturally focused on the various measures the Government has initiated in the peninsula so far including efforts to restore the working of local government institutions.

The matter was examined at a top level conference early this week that President Kumaratunga presided. Taking part were Defence Secretary, Chandrananda de Silva, Secretary to the President, K. Balapatabendi, Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Rohan de S. Daluwatte and Major General Lionel Balagalle, outgoing Security Forces Commander, Jaffna.

Immediate measures necessary to thwart what was described as the "fear psychosis" the LTTE was creating in the peninsula, the need to provide protection to local councillors and to ensure links between Colombo and Jaffna are not interrupted were among measures discussed.

As a follow-up to this, President Kumaratunga, will on November 6 have a meeting with representatives of Tamil political parties. The security of their members serving in local authorities in the peninsula, development activities there as well other related issues are to be taken up at this discussion.

Fears of LTTE's intentions in the peninsula grew after last Friday's incident off the Mullaitivu coast, where a fierce sea battle ensued between Sea Tiger cadres and Navy personnel. This occurred when the cargo vessel "Lanka Muditha", with 500 soldiers and an equal number of civilians from Jaffna, were being escorted to Trincomalee. The need for coastal transport had become acute in view of the inability of the Sri Lanka Air Force to operate even the required minimum number of flights to Jaffna. The fact that only one Antonov 32 of the SLAF was operational soon after the LTTE attack on Kilinochchi severely impeded the movement of troops (from south of Mankulam areas) to both Kilinochchi and Paranthan.

The state of affairs in the Sri Lanka Air Force has continued to worry the Government leaders, so much so, one of them observed at a top level meeting that in the short span of three years, 19 aircraft have been lost, both due to enemy action and accidents. They were wondering whether there has been a commensurate return for the billions of rupees invested for SLAF procurements. Some of these procurements have been the subject of widespread corruption scandals though the Government is yet to publicly hold anyone accountable so far.

The vacuum caused by the SLAF's inability has increased the responsibilities of the Sri Lanka Navy, already over burdened with policing the north and north eastern waters with limited resources.

Just two hours after midnight last Thursday, two Fast Attack Craft (FAC) of the Sri Lanka Navy sailed from the Eastern Naval Command in Trincomalee. Their task was to carry out offensive patrol between Mullaitivu to Chalai in close proximity to land to clear the area. Further north of them, five more FACs were off the coast of Vettilainkerny. All these FACs were to ensure the area was free from enemy boats prior to the arrival of "Lanka Muditha."

Around 5.30 a.m. on Friday, "Lanka Muditha" sailed from Kankesanthurai with the soldiers and civilians and was headed for Trincomalee. It was escorted by four FACs.

Around 6.30 am, FACs in the two separate formations, detected two clusters of Sea Tiger boats, five nautical miles east of Mullaitivu, venturing towards the sea.

One of the FACs, a Dvora type built by the Colombo Dockyard, was the first to lead the initiative to attack the enemy cluster. It was hit by enemy fire and sank. On board this craft was Lt. Cmdr. S.H.U. Dushantha who had joined in to train the new skipper Lt. J.M.D.S.H. Jayaratne. The two are among 17 feared dead. Navy Headquarters has confirmed only one death and has declared the others missing in action. Ten, including three officers were wounded.

When the confrontation continued after one FAC was sunk, "Lanka Mudhitha" was ordered to immediately return to Kankesanthurai.

As the sea battle raged, another FAC pulled out from the engagement as both its Officer-in-charge and deputy were badly injured. The damaged craft was towed and escorted to Trincomalee.

Navy Headquarters said yesterday two enemy craft were destroyed and sunk whilst two more were seriously damaged. It claimed that 30 Sea Tigers including two who were "Captains" were killed. Search and rescue operations in the area continued yesterday.

A senior Navy official denied LTTE claims in the website Tamilnet that Sea Tigers captured a Dvora Fast Attack Craft and removed all its heavy weapons. Tamilnet reported the LTTE claim quoting a "Tamil Eelam Vanoli" which, it said, was the commercial broadcast of the Voice of Tigers at 6.30 p.m. on October 30. It added that two Sea Tiger "Captains," Ilankathir and Mennon died in the battle.

"There was no question of either a FAC or the weapons on board being captured. It sank as the battle raged. It is nothing but propaganda," the official, who did not wish to be identified, said. Despite the claims in the Tamilnet, there was no word from the LTTE which is quick to issue news releases from its "International Secretariat" in London within hours after an incident.

Yesterday, Deputy Defence Minister, Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte and Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Tissera, flew to Anuradhapura to obtain a detailed account of the incident and its ramifications. They will thereafter report to President Kumaratunga.

The LTTEs attacks on Naval movements in the north eastern seas comes immediately after its threats to disrupt air movements from Ratmalana to Jaffna. The Government now has evidence that the LTTE was responsible for downing the Lionair An 24 flight when it was heading from Jaffna to Palaly with 48 civilian passengers. Government sources say the LTTE had used a surface to air missile, one among a lot which it is reported to have procured in the recent months.

Compounding the problem of threat the LTTE threat to air traffic over the north is confirmation by the intelligence community that they now possessed a helicopter or helicopters. First indications about LTTE's possession had come from pictures relayed by the UAV (Unidentified Aerial Vehicles). Even if the UAVs were not used to identify over a month long build up before the attack on Kilinochchi defence complex and Paranthan defences, pictures over Mullaitivu, it is reported, speaks of a different story.

Some footage clearly showed the LTTE has now developed an airstrip adjoining the former military base at Mullaitivu. This was the cleared area that the SLAF used previously to land helicopters. The only air link then, when the Mullaitivu military base was operational, were regular flights from Vavuniya. Why the SLAF has not chosen to bomb the area is still not clear. But SLAF sources claim UAV video footage indicated the presence of at least two helicopters on ground. This, however, could not be verified.

Senior SLAF officials suspect the helicopter on ground to be similar to R44 Astro. In a warning sent out to all Army, Navy, Air Force and Police commands in the Wanni, the Air Defence Command and Control Centre at Vavuniya has warned that the helicopter is operating in the general area of Mullaitivu.

Since the suspected aircraft is confirmed to be a helicopter which could fly at high altitudes (due to the absence of any ground missile threat) carrying, say a payload of 200 kilogrammes of explosives, and dropping it in a selected area is a strong possibility, the Centre has warned. Another factor, the centre has pointed out, is the possibility of attaching a medium calibre machine gun on the aircraft to fire on selected targets cannot be ruled out.

Other counter measures to overcome the threat have been worked out by Air Commodore J.L.C. Salgado, Director, Operations and Wing Commander Ranil Gurusinghe, Director, Air Defence and Control Centre, Vavuniya in conjunction with the commands in the area. SLAF sources declined to say what these measures are except to add that they would be "very effective and lethal."

With the Government's own assurance that it would not rush the troops to keep to unrealistic deadlines, senior security forces commanders are working out their own time frames taking into consideration the resources available. In such a situation, another deadline set by Gen. Ratwatte to end "Operation Jaya Sikurui" by November, this year, will not become a reality. Moreover, the north east monsoon, which has just set in, is expected to increase in intensity in the coming weeks.

If a Presidential intervention has led to "Operation Jaya Sikurui" being set on a professional military course, the threat on the Jaffna peninsula itself has become a task of twin priority for her. This is apart from attending to other official responsibilities that warrant a President's attention.

In this backdrop, the need for a Joint Operations Command not only to collectively plan and execute military operations but also to ensure the resources of all three services and the Police are utilised to the maximum, becomes an imperative need. Such a joint apparatus should not only have the mechanism to closely monitor procurements and thus avoid corruption, but also ensure there is accountability for lapses. A JOC thus manned by militarily proficient men would not only execute the task given by the Government but take the rap for any lapses in its execution. Hence, the kudos that emanates from their successes will be for a Government and will not become the toy for the personal glory and aggrandisement of individuals who have superimposed their own personal agenda to that of the Government's.

It will not only be foolish not to profit from the experience of incidents where the brave young men and women have paid with their dear lives, or have been maimed, or lost their limb but also an act which is not in the best interests of the nation. The time has never been more urgent than today for individual glory and political ambition to make way for the national interest, one for which men and women on the front lines are still defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka – shortcomings, setbacks, debacles, drawbacks and corruption notwithstanding. A nation owes it to them.

Fifth Column

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