13th August 2000

By Alia

Ferrying supplies

Highly placed intelligence sources say movement of Tiger guerrilla boats have increased between the South Indian coastal town of Rameshwaram and Nachchikudai in north west Sri Lanka, where a Sea Tiger main base is located.

They say large stocks of medical supplies and canned/dry food items are being smuggled into Sri Lanka.

In another development, they also say that Tiger guerrilla leaders had been in Pooneryn in the past weeks overseeing movement of weapons to Thanankilappu across the Sangupiddy ferrry.

Goat sacrifice?

Eight goats for military training. That is one of the items, among many, listed as requirements for SF personnel undergoing training from foreign experts.

A note listing the requirements says that one goat is for three trainees.

It does not explain whether the requirement is for survival tests but simply says "medical training."

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Spy gets cold feet?

A top notcher in the spy service of a service arm is in the news after he defected to an European country.

This is not the result of any spy game. The man was on an overseas stint and was due for a posting to a frontal zone.

Enroute to his assigned task, the man disembarked and has now gone underground.

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Not ours

One night this week, as Tornados, Nimrods, Tristars and VC 10 aircraft began to land one after another, some onlookers were thrilled.

Many of them believed, a large part of the Government's latest procurements had begun to arrive. They were thrilled because the bombers and transport aircraft landed one after another in what appeared to be an unending stream.

It only took them a while to realise they were all from the UK's Royal Air Force. The aircraft were returning home after a joint exercise in the Far East code-named "Flying Fish." Colombo was a technical stop over.

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Threats against villages

Police in the Wanni and Trincomalee district have been warned to enhance protection for Sinhala villages. This was after intelligence reports of LTTE plans to launch attacks on civilians living in these villages.

At least nine villages in the Trincomalee district alone had been earmarked. Tiger cadres had conducted surveillance in these villages, according to intelligence sources.

Rajpal Abeynayake's Column

Editorial/ Opinion Contents