2nd April 2000

By Alia

Reprimanded

LTTE leader, Velupillai Prab-hakaran, has reprimanded his intelligence leaders responsible for operations in Colombo for their failure to accomplish targets during the March 10 Rajagiriya bomb explosion.

Intelligence agencies have learnt that Prabhakaran sacked Ilankathir, the man who had been given the task. He has been replaced by Throna alias Raju alias Kannan. Two other cadres helping Ilankathir, Newton and Vaiddyi have been reprimanded.

Since it is customary for a newly appointed cadre to prove his skills to the leader, intelligence authorities have warned the Presidential Security Division and the Ministerial Security Division to be extra vigilant.

Tip-off

Atip-off by a western intelligence agency to hijack a SriLankan aircraft forced the Government to ban visitors to the departure lounge of the Bandaranaike International Airport.

This report, insiders say, prompted a high level conference where all possible scenarios were closely examined. A string of other measures, which cannot be divulged, have also gone into effect.

Petition

High ranking officials in the defence establishment and top rung security officials received a petition in the recent weeks. It listed some disturbing irregularities and malpractice in a coveted arm of the service known for its daredevilry.

But the preamble to the petition made a strong point. It asked the leadership to investigate the serious allegations made in the petition and NOT to embark on a hunt to find out the authors of the petition – a practice that has become the hallmark of a top man who considers himself the authority on all matters militarily.

Suppress all bad news. All things will then be hunky dory, or so he believes.

Murdering the Queen

The MOD's (Ministry of Defence) Operational Headquarters news releases, which, with the ongoing censorship is the only source of official news for Sri Lankans and the outside world on the ongoing separatist war, have begun to take too many swipes at Her Majesty the Queen's English.

Perhaps the creative minds there are growing increasingly confident they would not invite diplomatic protests for their gaffes. Among their latest gems:

"Kafir (sic) aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force….." Its obviously a reference to Israeli built Kfir ground attack aircraft and not Kafir, which the dictionary defines as "unbelievers or infidels."

"A AN 26 aircraft charted by the Sri Lanka Air Force crashed due to a technical fault…" That obviously was a reference to a chartered aircraft.

"Since the commencement of the confrontation….. soldiers have got killed in action…"

All this in a New Millennium where the world is swept by a modern technology that is revolutionising communications.

Why complain? Knowing people know what they are say

Rajpal Abeynayake's Column

Editorial/ Opinion Contents