Jungle Telegraph

1st August 1999

Sing song

Guests at a recent dinner to visiting Commanding Officer, US Army Pacific Command, Lt. Gen. Edwin Smith by Deputy Defence Minister, Anuruddha Ratwatte, raised eye brows when an aide went around whispering messages into the ears of selected guests – all big names in the security establishment.

Has anything gone wrong ? Has something big happened ? The words were on the lips of those who observed what was going on.

There was nothing untoward. It was a message from Minister Ratwatte for a selected few to stay behind.

They had been invited for night caps, or simply for a few more round of drinks before returning home and to bed.

The gracious host entertained so graciously. Must one say the event ended in a sing song ?

No easy task

A stationery supplier to Army Headquarters is in trouble.

He regularly supplied (A-4) typing sheets to AHQ. They were in bundles of 500 sheets.

It has been found that recent supplies contained only 400 sheets in a bundle. Did men in uniform collude with the supplier ? A Military Police probe is on to find the answers.

Talking of supplies and tenders, Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya, acted on a deal to procure 350,000 metres of olive green uniform material for the Sri Lanka Army (The Jungle Telegraph – July 11). An impending award to a tenderer who represented a supplier (who was also represented by a State organisation) was cancelled.

Another tenderer has now been given the award, evidently on the grounds that he was the lowest. Well and good.

But Lt. Gen. Weeras ooriya's predecessor had this observation to make about the new recipient. In a document connected with the same deal, then Lt. Gen Rohan de S Daluwatte said "….. (name of the company given) is temporarily black listed for the supply of spurious Brake Boosters to the 21 Division Anuradhapura vide Military Police report ……"

Awarding tenders is no easy task when there are so many to complain and so many to canvass!!!

Pants down

A Major who held a prime assignment in an operational area is on the mat for conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman.

A strongly worded report from a City Police station said it all. But it took a while for the top brass to ascertain the meaning of some of the descriptive words in stilted Sinhala.

It boilt down to indecent conduct outside a women's hostel.

The Major had been there twice, once in the morning and then in the evening. He was caught by the police with his pants down on the second occasion. The man has now been moved to a centre outside the operational area.

Editorial/Opinion Contents