All is still not well with the Sri Lanka Air Force.
It was only two weeks ago that eight cadets passed out as pilots after they were trained for six months by Asian Aerospace, a subsidiary of Lionair. They have stepped in to help SLAF meet the acute shortage of pilots.
Four were posted to the SLAF Base at Minneriya and the rest to the Ratmalana airbase to fly Chinese built Harbin Y 12s.
It appears that severe ragging which included a number of unsavoury acts was too much for one of the four. He bolted from the place and complained he had not joined looking for a job but to serve the country.
They say two flyers are to be grounded and a Court of Inquiry set up to try the miscreants.
It seems top brass have no time to ensure discipline.
They are too busy trying to find out who is leaking information to the media. That’s the sad plight of a once coveted and prestigious organisation !!
Pressure moves are afoot to thwart Government plans to publicise the names of 174 Police and security forces personnel (including two top rungers) who were allegedly responsible for human rights violations.
They have been named by Commissions that probed disappearances.
Those not in favour argue that the disclosures may be bad for the morale of troops involved in the ongoing operations.
This is an interesting story. It is all about interest, I mean what you skim off after lending money.
That’s what the top man in uniform’s hobby happens to be. Money is lent and the interest has to be paid on time. A delay or default does not lead to seizures of property or letters of demand.
There is a small man in uniform waiting to pull defaulters by the collar and shake them. Pay up or else.... he would warn. Like the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, defaulters there are none.
But another top man who tried to offer competition found himself in trouble.
He got marching orders to another station.
They say these are days when you should not compete with bosses. Not in matters of interest.
The note terminating the services of the sea farer, the one who handled procurements of all kinds, came pre-dated by a month.
Now they ask whether official actions he took during that month is legally valid ? I don’t mean the statements he made to detectives probing purchases.
There were a number of other things including new purchases.
They are waiting for the boss to give a ruling on the matter. But he is slow like a cart says a colleague.
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