| News |
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| Grounded
wings of mystery The aircraft-
concealed in a container declared as soap and television parts were
detected by officers in the Preventive Division of the Customs Department.
Three high-powered antennas and 160 sophisticated compasses with
night navigation capabilities were also among the undeclared items,
concealed in the same container. Outlining the procedure regarding the import of such devices, a Civil Aviation Authority official said this was a clear violation of regulations as their consent had not been sought. He said the usual procedure was that the Civil Aviation Authority issued a permit only after looking into the specifications of the devices and after consultations with the Defence Ministry. According to the aircraft manuals, one was a Cessna 46 built and manufactured in Vietnam and the other a Skyline 152 of which the place of manufacture was not known. The two remote-controlled aircraft could carry a weight of about two to three kilos and could be airborne for about 30 minutes. Officials said the possibility of making use of these two aircraft to carry explosives and land at a security sensitive location had not been ruled out as they could carry over 2.5 kg of explosives which was sufficient to cause considerable damage. Air Force officials said they had not detected any sophisticated cameras or transition devices attached to the aircraft like those found in Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) of the Airforce. However they did warn that there was the possibility of modifying these mini aircraft into spy or sabotage devices by fitting them with sophisticated cameras which would give them the ability to take aerial photographs, though not technically advanced as the Air Force UAVs. Defence Ministry officials have also voiced concern over whether these aircraft had been imported to modify them into spy planes, especially because of the detection of antennas. They said they were awaiting the reports from the Air Force and Intelligence authorities to take further action. The Customs Chief Preventive officer Bennett Ratnayake explaining the detection said it was normal practice to retain more than 100 containers every month for thorough checking on a later date, especially if there was suspicion of any hanky panky. "We seized this container late last September but checked it only recently. When the check was carried out we discovered the mini aircrafts, antennas and compasses craftily hidden amidst soap and television equipment, that the container was supposed to carry," he said. Customs officials said the company that acted as the agent who imported the items to Sri Lanka was also the consignee of the items and that it was unusual because usually it was the agent's role to act as a mediator between two companies. This too had aroused suspicion they said. "The company which imported the container with the aircraft and other items is based in Narahenpita and it had reportedly been involved in a cigarette smuggling scandal. Some of these cigarettes had been detected by the police recently," a Customs official said. He also said that after the container had been seized false papers had been forwarded by the importing agency stating that the container was to be shipped to Singapore and not Sri Lanka. "We believe these documents had been prepared in the case of it being detected by Customs,” he said. The Prosecution branch of the Customs Department said two individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident. They will be prosecuted under the Customs Ordinance and were remanded till Nov. 28 after being produced in courts, he said.
Cessna
46 |
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