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Bag issue ends in a whimper
What began with a loud bang has ended in a whim per. The issue of the sophisticated "VH 09 Covert Audio Video Handbag" is now a closed chapter after the Attorney General's Department declared there was no evidence to frame criminal charges against anyone.

However, the Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII), the nation's premier intelligence agency, was a casualty. Despite DII's denials that information about the procurement of this bag from a London supplier leaked from them, some foreign intelligence agencies have become skeptical about passing down documents for fear of leaks.

This and other developments appear to have earned for DII the ire of the UNF leadership. Changes in the intelligence community, including a complete re-organisation, are now on the cards. A top level Committee is now formulating a blueprint.

The controversy over the bag surfaced after Minister Ravi Karunanayake raised issue at a Cabinet meeting on July 17. Sergeant K.A.A. Chandrasiri in the DII's Technical Division told CID detectives he went with this spy bag to the President's House in the company of then Additional Director General T.V. Sumanasekera. Since he could not meet the President, he had handed it over to Mr. Sumanasekera.

The latter strongly denied the charge.

Now comes news of other revelations after the CID investigations into the spy bag issue. It is over another spy bag, which had been imported earlier, in 1997.

CID detectives, insiders say, have questioned the Director of DII, Felix Alles, DIG and one time DIG (CID and later NIB) Punya de Silva, among others, in this connection.

According to the findings, Mr. Sumanasekera, then DIG (CID) had sent a note to Mr. de Silva, who was then Director of the now defunct National Intelligence Bureau (DII) recommending that he purchase this bag.

The latter had made a written request to Chandrananda de Silva, then Secretary, Ministry of Defence, to obtain approval. It had been paid for utilising "Secret Funds" and the spy bag had arrived in Colombo in a diplomatic bag from London.

The price of this spy bag had been 3995 Sterling Pounds or nearly Rs 500,000. It had been obtained through the same agent who supplied the sophisticated version later.

At least for a period of time, insiders say, this bag was handed over by the then National Intelligence Bureau for use by the CID.

No business class ticket for him
Commandant of the Staff College at Batalanda, Major General Sisira Wijesuriya, was the Sri Lanka Army's nominee for the "Senior Executives in National and International Security Seminar" currently under way in Boston, United States.

Though not specifically meant for armed forces chiefs, the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri, was the other nominated by the Ministry of Defence. He paid out of Navy funds to upgrade his Economy Class ticket to Business Class to travel to US for this seminar. However, the Army made no such upgrade upon payment.

Last year, two senior officers of the Army attended the same seminar - Major General Anton Wijendra, then Security Forces Commander (North), and Maj. Gen. Sunil Tennekoon, who commanded a Division in the North.

Abandoned homes as guest houses
Are soldiers cashing in on the acute shortage of accom modation for local tourists visiting Jaffna?

The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) is accusing some soldiers of doing so.

In a note to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former EPRLF Parliamentarian and now General Secretary K.K. Premachandran, has charged that abandoned houses near a camp were being rented out. He has said that the income derived is being shared by those concerned.

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