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Stay back order
After issuing marching orders, the UPFA Government has now asked Pat Suwaris, retired SP to continue as Director of the Directorate of Foreign Intelligence (DFI). Insiders say that is only until such time a replacement is found.

Indictment soon
Military Spokesman Col. Sumedha Perera has sent in his own report to Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle, over moves by the Attorney General's Department to indict him on charges of forgery, a criminal offence.

He and two others are accused of allegedly claiming, through forged documents, a well known philanthropist's land and ancestral home declared by the Archaeological Department as a protected property.
An official at the Attorney General's Department says indictments against him and the two others will be filed in the
Colombo High Court on July 22.

SLAF and rules
Alias's comments on the use of official vehicles in the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has drawn a lengthy response from Chitral, a reader. Firstly, thank you for your interest in The Jungle Telegraph, Chitral.

He says The Royal Ceylon Air Force, as this establishment was known then, kept to a strict code of ethics against the misuse of transport, and rules applied to commissioned as well as other ranks. Service vehicles were never left at the disposal of wives and children. Not even the family members of senior officers in command positions enjoyed this privilege at that time.

He also says family members of all service personnel had either to walk or find their own transport. True. As Chitral says rules were relaxed beginning of 1990 paving the way to wanton misuse of service transport.

But he fails to realise that the armed forces are no longer the ceremonial outfits they were. Since the late 1983, they were forced to fight a separatist war and their roles as combat forces increased rapidly.

Whilst all other services could enjoy a privilege, would one expect a SLAF pilot who is trusted with a jet bomber worth millions of dollars to fly alone to attack an enemy target to be at someone else's mercy. That is when it comes to his own family needing urgent health care. Why enforce the rules so rigidly only in one service arm? How could the general public feel better about this?

Surely there should be uniformity. And surely there should be a distinction between use in a contingency and wanton misuse !!

Bluff or intimidate
A former top cop and an Army officer forced to quit the Board of Investment (BOI) are to contest in Courts the charges leveled against them for purported corruption. Former DIG Gaya Pathikirikorale and retired Major General Wasantha Perera say they were recruited to their jobs at the BOI, as Senior Advisor and Deputy Director General (Administration) respectively only after they faced formal interviews at the Treasury together with many others.

Mr. Pathikirikorale was paid an all inclusive salary of Rs 100,000 whilst his colleague, Major General (retd.) Wasantha Perera was paid Rs 75,000. Both say besides the payments they received, which they say are legitimate, they have not been involved in any improper activity. They say their appointments have been subsequently ratified by the Cabinet.

Speaking on behalf of the Senior Advisor, one of his legal backers said "he did a job of work for the pay he got. He was not like other advisors who were rewarded with BMW vehicles. They gave no advice except to berate others." His last words were indeed hilarious. He (Mr. Pathikirikorale) did not bluff or intimidate (boi).

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