Has the LTTE succeeded in applying pressure on the Government of Kazakhstan to scuttle the activities of the only private airline ferrying passengers to the north ? Insiders say there is a ding dong battle going on between the local operators and the Kazakh lessors of the fleet of AN 24. They are demanding their aircraft and have ordered their (Kazakh) pilots not to fly. Hence regular operations have come to a halt.
Needless to say this has increased the burden of the Sri Lanka Air Force which is ferrying troops back and forth from the north using the remaining three AN 32s. It is unable to increase the daily schedule of flights for that would not only be a strain on the aircraft but also the crew.
The result - a sizeble number of troops north bound after leave are unable to travel to their camps. Worse enough, they are not sure when they will get a flight. This is while the Ministry of Defence is now negotiating with another private operator who is offering to provide a fleet to operate between the City and the north. The deal is expected to be concluded soon.
Fierce resentment against them after the killing of rugger coach Joel Pera in Colombo is forcing hundreds of Sri Lankans to flee Papua New Guinea for safety.
One group of Sri Lankans chartered an aircraft to fly to Australia. Others are arriving in Colombo almost daily.
“We cannot walk on the streets. We are being witch hunted,” said one of the returnees. He said anger against Sri Lankans had reached fever pitch. Joel Pera’s grandfather reportedly died two days after the news that his grand son has been killed. His mother lopped off her index finger as an expression of sorrow.
Until recently, the Sri Lankan expatriate community with a large group of professionals was highly respected.
Two expert teams from two European countries arrived in Colombo to probe recent crashes of Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft.
One team boarded a Y 12 aircraft for a flight to Anuradhapura but found the pilot making an emergency landing at Ratmalana minutes after take off. Needless to say they were not pleased.
But the other team was much happier. Besides their official chores, they were escorted to a shop that stocked a dazzling array of precious stones. They ended up purchasing stuff worth a couple of thousand US dollars. Who escorted them ? Who paid for the gems ? Who owned the gem shop ?
I am sorry. I offer no prizes for those who can come up with the answers.
The old American saying goes... If you can’t baffle them with bullshit, dazzle them with diamonds. That’s all about courting girls. Is this also courting of some sorts ?
This rickety old man is not a Goliath but a dimunitive David who gets into too many no win situations. That again is after a half bottle of local Vodka and tonic. This time the locals were feting him at the end of his two year stint in Colombo.Though his company job had little to do with it, he prided himself for serving in a local Committee to help Her Majesty’s Government. As the night grew, he threw caution to the winds and exhorted “All bloody Sri Lankans are crooks !!”. That was the end of the farewell party. The man was thrown out unceremoniously.
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