Thoughts from London

In-laws, outlaws and their flying machines
So now even two former American presidents know. Fellow columnist Iqbal Athas said last Sunday that President Chandrika Kumaratunga told George Bush senior and Bill Clinton that the LTTE, which is banned in their country as a terrorist organisation, has acquired air capability.

Whether they will in turn convey this to George Bush junior one could only speculate. Right now the small Bush is somewhat preoccupied with Syria, one of those nations in his axis of evil. Some speculate that having taken the road to Baghdad to bring democracy to the Iraqis he might be inclined to travel on the road to Damascus.

That seems unlikely right now but, if he does, it won't be because he is a born again Christian. So President Kumaratunga's lament (if it was that) might well fall on deaf ears, particularly since Bush jr. is deaf to anybody else's, unless they came from his neo-conservative buddies.

Besides nuking the Wanni ("where the goddam hell is Wanni, Condi?") there is not much young Bushy-Washy could do, other than to drop the Green Berets disguised as Norwegian aid workers with purification tablets and M16s.

Anyway why is our president getting so agitated? Columnist Athas says she is awaiting an official report to take it up through diplomatic channels. Atta boy, that's the stuff to give the troops. The first thing to do is to summon the Norwegian ambassador, some chap called Bratislava or Brats or something. Anyway somebody should know. He lives down Gregory's Road and one can bet all the tsunami money (what's left, that is) to one Norwegian smoked salmon that some in this administration like others in the previous one, know the ambassador's residence quite well.

The President should summon this Brat whoever he is and hit him with this official report, preferably above the neck so that he will get into his head that you can't fool all the people all the time.

Well, if that is not taking up through diplomatic channels, what is? Why all this fuss and pother when all those poor LTTE chaps want is to do a little flying.

So they get themselves a couple of flying machines and from the president down to her eighth cousin from her mother's side, all get plenty excited and go blurting these little secrets to former US presidents. Result is that Colombo's cocktail circuit is agog. Even that Muralitharan-Warne charity dinner and the case of the missing cricketers are as forgotten as the Galle Cricket Stadium that has been consigned to the waves and possibly consumed by chicanery.

Until a couple of years ago, the Tigers were quite happy traversing the jungle paths or swimming the Palk Strait or even taking a boat ride from VVT to south India and back as their forefathers did. After all we all know what VVT is known for.

Some others who managed to get out of the country, flew to foreign parts, often on forged passports as some of them still do, thanks to the official palms that are well oiled in some state institutions.

But those in the Wanni and its environs stayed on the ground except for occasionally taking to the water when weapons had to be unloaded in mid-sea and brought ashore.

Now who got the Tigers accustomed to flying high? Ask the Ranil Wickremesinghe-Lakshman Peiris-Milinda Moragoda administration whose single-minded policy of peace clouded them to everything else. Nobody in his right mind would dismiss the need for peace and for the Tamil people to be given their due.

But to carry on like blinkered horses on a racetrack seeing nothing but the grass ahead is to lose sight of the surroundings and what is going on elsewhere.

Remember it was the Wickremesinghe government that allowed Anton Balasingham to fly in by seaplane from Male and land on the waters of the Iranamadu tank, wife, baggage and all.

Since the ceasefire of early 2002 and the MOU, LTTE leaders who had hitherto remained firmly on terra firma, have not only taken to the skies but they have also found an Air Force that could be conveniently converted into an Air Taxi service virtually at the snap of their fingers, all for the benefit of those who had previously been quite content to shoot at the machines they now fly in.

Why, the other day we heard that the LTTE had been invited to the hills to meet the plantations workers who for decades have been looked down upon by their northern brethren and exploited by some who call themselves their leaders.

Whether this Thamilchelvam or Selvan or whatever the spelling is, went there and, if so, whether the government once again obliged by providing air transport, we have not heard.

But that is what is happening. Then, the other day some relatives of LTTE leader Pirapahakaran came to Sri Lanka for a funeral, armed with Danish passports no less. It is said that they were provided with armed escort so that the in-laws could meet the outlaws.

Is providing armed escort to foreign relatives attending funerals in Tiger-controlled areas all part of the great MOU that was brokered by the Norwegians and signed by the Wickremesinghe government?

What about the setting up of commissions of inquiry into the shooting of Tiger cadres? Is that also part of the MOU or realpolitik? What about those killed by the Tigers even in Colombo? Don't they get even a free coffin?

Every time the LTTE threatens to bite, governments catch rabies.
On 7 November last year The Sunday Times reported exclusively from London that the LTTE had acquired two aircraft and a helicopter. We quoted the prestigious International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) as saying in its latest publication "Military Balance 2004-2005" that the LTTE had a Robinson R-44 helicopter and two light aircraft.

In fact, IISS's Military Balance for 2003-2004 had also mentioned that the LTTE possessed such aircraft. So it appears the Tigers acquired its air power after the ceasefire agreement. This raises several important questions. What did the President and the ministries concerned do about this information that came from a highly reliable institute?

Did our defence attaches posted in our diplomatic missions report back this and other information? Did they even know there was such an annual publication? In fact do they even know the IISS exists? What in fact do our defence attaches do?

Several months earlier Iqbal Athas had reported about the airstrip being constructed in the Wanni. Have we had to wait this long to collate information. It surely is a sad indictment on our security alertness if we cannot even put two and two together and come up with four.

The one clear advantage Sri Lanka's armed forces had is air superiority. It should have been clear even to the purblind the LTTE would try to minimise, if not neutralise, that advantage. Just as they created a naval strike force, they were bound to try and change that advantage.

Perhaps the LTTE leaders should now be told to use their own aircraft when they want to move from place to place and not tax the Air Force that has also to expend its fuel for the free rides.

By the time the president deals with this through diplomatic channels, Air Eelam will be landing at Iranamadu Airport and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) at Kilinochchi Airport.But don't rush to your travel agent- not yet anyway.

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