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Mystery
missiles in Tiger airstrip area Flight Lieutenant Sumudu Dassanayake took off in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Bell 412 helicopter from their base in Hingurakgoda last Thursday. He was heading towards the Central College Grounds in Kilinochchi to pick up Soosapillai Joseph Anthonydas, better known as "Colonel Sornam," the military leader for Trincomalee.
One of LTTE’s top guerrillas, Sornam was to be dropped off at Karadiyanaru in Batticaloa for the funeral of Ilayathambi Lingarajah, better known by his nom de guerre Kaushalyan, Political Wing leader for Batticaloa and Ampara. He was killed in an ambush on Monday in Pillayaradi near Batticaloa reportedly by an armed group belonging to the renegade Karuna (Vinayaga-moorthy Muralitharan) faction. Flt. Lt. Dassanayake touched down at the Air Force base in Vavuniya to re-fuel. Thereafter, in the company of a member of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and a representative of the Peace Secretariat in Colombo, who had boarded the helicopter in Hingurakgoda, he took off for Kilinochchi. He was cruising at an altitude of some 10,000 feet over the Alpha Nine (A-9) Kandy-Jaffna highway. When the helicopter was on the stretch of this highway near the Iranamadu irrigation tank and the LTTE's newly built airstrip (both on his right), something unexpected happened. He saw a red light blink on his cockpit console. It was MAWS or Missile Approach Warning System being activated. Simultaneously an audio warning came on his Bome Dome, the protective headgear military pilots wear. The electronic counter missile system had automatically activated itself. The result -- sixty flares located in a pod on the right side of the helicopter (facing the airstrip) were set off one after another. These flares which create sparks, like fireworks, light up the sky and generate heat. This heat forces any missiles fired at the helicopter to deflect and explode. Such electronic counter-missile systems came to be installed in most Air Force aircraft and helicopters after the string of missile attacks carried out by Tiger guerrillas. It began with the attacks on two SLAF Avro aircraft, one after another, in April 1995. One could have dismissed the event as a malfunction in the electronic counter missile system. But in such an eventuality, a warning in the form of an amber light in the cockpit console, facing the Co-Pilot, would have blinked. Moreover, the electronic counter missile system is equipped to verify a missile threat 17 times per second before triggering off a MAWS - a Missile Approach Warning System. The Air Force electronic counter-missile system is capable of countering some of the advanced anti-aircraft missiles though the Tiger guerrillas are known to have, in the past, used only Russian built SAM 7s. There was more when Flt. Lt. Dassanayake was on his return journey. Again when the helicopter was over the Alpha Nine (A-9) highway near the Iranamadu tank and the LTTE airstrip, both on his left, a missile approach warning was automatically activated. Once more, sixty flares from a pod located on the left side of the helicopter began firing one after another. This seemed the second fireworks display of sorts over the Kilinochchi skies within an hour. Having landed in Karadiyanaru, south of Batticaloa to drop "Col. Sornam" Flt. Lt. Dassanayake returned to his base to file an immediate Special Occurrence Report. Referred to as SOR in Air Force parlance, the report detailed out the incident, the co-ordinates where it occurred and how the flares on both the left and right pods of the helicopter were discharged after the missile warning was automatically triggered off. Later checks of the counter missile system on the helicopter had revealed it had remained in excellent working order and is fully serviceable even now. The latest incident has added to the number of puzzles the Air Force has to now solve. Having constructed a 1,250 metre runway and acquired at least two light aircraft, has the LTTE now procured an electronic air defence system to protect them? Would this system make aircraft flying over Tiger guerrllia held territory in Wanni, particularly under hostile conditions, vulnerable to missile attacks? This is even before the government could procure a sophisticated air defence system to protect vital targets. Were they testing this air defence system when the Air Force helicopter was flying over the area? Suspicions about possible tests of an air defence system were heightened by the previous day's events. Last Wednesday, Flt. Lt. Dakshina Perera took off in an Air Force Bell 212 helicopter from Hingurakgoda. He followed the same routine before proceeding to Kilinochchi. That meant a stop over in Vavuniya for re-fuelling. Also on board were a representative of the SLMM and the Peace Secretariat in Colombo. They touched down at the Central College grounds in Kilinochchi to pick up the head of LTTE's Political Wing, S.P. Thamilselvan, and his entourage. They were flown direct to Sampur near Trincomalee. The LTTE delegation was kept waiting there until Flt. Lt. Perera flew to the SLAF air base in China Bay to refuel. Thereafter he flew back to Sampur to pick up Mr. Thamilselvan and party. They were later dropped off in Karadiyanaru. This flight over Kilinochchi was uneventful. The electronic missile warning system was activated the very next day (Thursday). The LTTE had requested the Peace Secretariat in Colombo on February 8 (Tuesday) for two flights, one on February 9 (for Mr. Thamilselvan and party) and the other on February 10 (for "Col. Sornam and escorts). Hence, the LTTE had prior knowledge about the two flights. The request had reached the Peace Secretariat through the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo. This new development comes as President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Friday called for a comprehensive report from the Air Force on the LTTE acquiring air capability. Her directive came after she returned to Colombo ending a two-day official visit to Pakistan. The move is prelude to a formal official response from the Government. Depending on the factual evidence the Air Force can come up with, the Government wants to raise issue at higher levels with the LTTE through Norwegian peace facilitators. This is on the grounds that the LTTE actions violated the ongoing ceasefire. President Kumaratunga, it is learnt, was apprised of last week's The Sunday Times (Situation Report) exclusive disclosures that the Air Force had received confirmation that the LTTE was in possession of aircraft. The report revealed how an Israeli built Searcher Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), on a surveillance mission on February 3 over the Wanni videoed an aircraft touching down in the newly built airstrip - a find that dispelled doubts in sections of the Air Force that previous UAV footage of aircraft were nothing but dummies. The Sunday Times published two thermal images of the LTTE aircraft on the ground at the newly constructed LTTE airstrip obtained by UAV during flights over Wanni. Inadvertently these pictures were left out in the internet edition of the newspaper last week. However, they are posted on the web site today. The publication of the thermal images was to spark off a high level inquiry in the Air Force where a senior intelligence officer and his staff were among those questioned. The inquiry came under the charge of acting Commander of the Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Laksan Salgado. The Commander, Air Marhsal Donald Perera was away in Bangalore attending an air show there. As revealed in these columns last week, the Air Force believes that the aircraft spotted by the UAV was either a Swiss built Pilatus PC-7 or PC-9. A highly placed source was quoted telling The Sunday Times all indications point to the aircraft being a Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer. Details of this aircraft, capable of carrying an ordinance load of 1,040 kilogrammes, were revealed in these columns. It has now become incumbent on the Air Force to further clarify all facts before forwarding their report to President Kumaratunga. Both the defence authorities as well as the Air Force have taken the issue of the new runway in Kilinochchi and the acquisition of air capability by the LTTE very seriously. A series of immediate measures have been taken. For reasons of national security, one cannot specify them. The Air Force has also sent the Ministry of Defence a set of photographs from video footage taken by the UAV. They are now being carefully scrutinised with foreign help. At least two foreign Governments have provided satellite imagery giving details of the LTTE's newly built runway. It is located in close proximity to the old runway which was bombed years ago by the Air Force. As revealed in these columns last week, Defence Secretary retired Major General Asoka Jayawardena raised issue over the presence of aircraft on the airstrip with the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Wagn Winkel during a conference on January 31. According to reports from Kilinochchi, Mr. Winkel had taken up the matter during a meeting with LTTE Political Wing leader, S.P. Thamilselvan on February 5. Mr. Winkel was accompanied by Norway's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, during this visit to Wanni. They flew in a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter accompanied by an SLMM member as well as a representative of the Peace Secretariat. Flt. Lt. Asela Kuruwita touched down in Vavuniya after a flight from the Air Force base in Hingurakgoda to take in fuel. Thereafter, he flew to Kilinochchi to bring Mr. Brattskar and Mr. Winkel. During the return journey, Flt. Lt. Kuruwita was cruising in his helicopter over the Alpha Nine highway. When it was over the Iranamadu tank area, Mr. Winkel reached out to another SLMM member who had boarded the helicopter at Vavuniya. He had brought with him a pair of binoculars. With the use of the binoculars, he looked through in the direction of the area where the new LTTE airstrip had come up. What impressions he formed is not clear. But that would have at least given him a view that is denied to other SLMM members on the ground in the Wanni. The area where the airstip is located is declared by the LTTE as a "no go zone" LTTE sources decline comments on specific instances of military procurements or other security related measures they embark on. However, one source said it was their view that the subject of military preparations was not a matter on which prohibitions have been placed by the prevailing Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). "If the Government can embark on enhanced military preparations, procure more sophisticated weapons from Iran and get ready for war, the LTTE also can do the same," the source argued. Despite such contentions, the CFA, both in letter and spirit, did seek to freeze the military balance between the security forces and the LTTE at levels that existed on February 22, 2002 - the date it was signed. The Government has made clear it was not engaged in any exercise to tilt the military balance. The Governemt says it is only exercising its sovereign right to take whatever measures necessary to ensure security forces (and even the Police) remained in a high level of preparedness to protect national security. They argue such a sovereign right of a nation cannot be taken away by a Ceasefire Agreement. There were two errors in my column last week. I said Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was the longest serving Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. He is not. This long service record belongs to the late Rear Admiral Rajan Kadirgamar, brother of Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar. He served as Commander of the Navy from November 16, 1960 to July 1,1970, a record still unparalleled in the Navy. But Vice Admiral Sandagiri, who assumed office on January 1, 2001 will no doubt be the longest serving Commander of the Navy in the years after security forces were compelled to face a separatist threat. In 2002 when he reached 55 years (on September 1), the age of retirement, the then United National Front (UNF) Government recommended a year's extension of service. However, President Kumaratunga, Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief, extended his service by a further three years. This comes to an end on August 31 this year. The other is the reference made to Siai Marchetti aircraft. It was manufactured in Italy and not in Brazil as mistakenly stated. Vice Admiral Sandagiri was to have gone to Washington D.C. this week for a ceremony connected with the takeover of the former United States Coast Guard vessel USS Courageous. This 210 feet long search and rescue vessel was a free gift from the United States but the Government had to spend 6.9 million US dollars (over Rs 690 million) to have it re-furbished. A further financial commitment will have to be made by the Government to install a weapons system. The four week long voyage is being undertaken with a 40/60 mm Bofors gun dismantled from SLNS Sayura and shipped to the US. This gun was manufactured in 1936. Instead of the Navy Chief leaving Sri Lanka only to take part in a ceremony, the Ministry of Defence had turned down the move and nominated Commander of Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda to represent the Navy. He left for Washington DC yesterday. Even before the former US Coast Guard vessel could arrive in Sri Lanka, the Navy has received bad news. Five crew members who were among those who went for training in the US have decamped. Their whereabouts in the United States cannot be traced, This includes an Engine Room Artificer (ERA). The former USS Courageous has now been given a pennant number P-621 and will leave for Colombo on February 22. A new name is expected to be given once the vessel is commissioned in Colombo. The four week voyage will be through the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Acquired from India, the SLNS Sayura and P- 621 will become the two largest sea going vessels with the Navy and will enhance its operational capability. It was only last week, during the 57th Independence Day parade that the Navy made public a hitherto unknown fact - their Special Boat Squadron (SBS) had grown in numbers. One hundred SBS men, the commando equivalent in the Navy, clad in black were among those in the armed forces parade. This was their debut. It is in the backdrop of these developments that the Norwegian peace facilitators are busy trying to evolve a joint mechanism between the Government and the LTTE to channel aid to rehabilitate and reconstruct tsunami ravaged areas in the Wanni and the East. This is in areas now dominated by the LTTE. Two major irritants have emerged in the recent weeks. On the Government side, there have been increasing concerns over the LTTE's construction of a new airstrip and the acquisition of air capability. The LTTE is incensed over the killing of its Ampara-Batticaloa political leader, Kaushalyan, and has accused the security forces of collusion with a paramilitary group in carrying out the attack. Speakers at Kaushalyan's funeral had one after the other repeated the accusation. Political Wing leader, Mr. Thamilselvan has said that their "national leader" Mr. Prabhakaran will soon make a decision on their next course of action. Direct peace talks that remain suspended have distanced the Government and the LTTE. Whilst the Norwegian peace facilitators were trying to bridge this gap came the tsunami catastrophe. If that has further distanced the two parties, what Mr. Prabhakaran wants to decide on soon, no doubt seems an ultimatum of sorts. Politically, no doubt, that would also be of tsunami proportions. |
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