CONTAINING AND COPING WITH
POSSIBLE TERRORIST ATTACKS
Daya Hewapathirane, Canada
The possibility of widespread LTTE violence looms large
in our motherland today. These can take the form of suicide bomb attacks,
land mines, explosions, sniper attacks, and blackmail by creating mass
fear and panic. These maniacs are capable of causing untold violence
resulting in extensive killings and infrastructure and property damage
and disruption of the livelihood of many people in the country.
Unlike before when Tamil terrorists were confined to a specific region
in the country, today these criminal elements are spread out almost
all over the country. Today, there appears to be no place which can
be considered as safe from Tamil terrorism.
Most of these Tamil terrorists are victims of extreme forms of brainwashing
by the LTTE. Some have been brainwashed from childhood against the Sinhela
people in general and the Buddhists in particular. They consider the
Sangha community, the government and the armed forces personnel as enemies.
They have mustered the support of many Tamils living among the Sinhela
people in predominantly Sinhela areas, and some non Tamils including
the Sinhela, as informants. They are in the LTTE pay roll and mostly
include corrupt Sinhela Christians, NGO and INGO personnel, media personnel,
politicians, government officers and armed force personnel. This network
of paid spies and informants often carry out deceitful campaigns to
blackmail the people by creating mass fear and panic. More importantly,
they help to plan the timing and execution of suicide bomb attacks and
help in the setting up of land mines, explosions, sniper attacks. Some
are involved in deceitfully fabricating, distorting and misinterpreting
information in favour of the activities and unfounded demands of Tamil
terrorists.
Under these complex circumstances, as far as the security of our people
are concerned, it is definitely unwise to depend solely on the government
security establishment such as the police and other defense services.
This is particularly so owing to the nature of violence and the techniques
of attacks by these Tamil terrorists, which often are cowardly hidden
attacks of extreme forms hurting many innocent civilians including children.
The actions of our security personnel can be made more effective by
mobilizing the large mass of our people and securing their active co-operation.
The support of concerned media personnel becomes fundamentally important
in this regard. In fact their assistance is indispensable to develop
a well planned, broad-based, well coordinated surveillance and information-gathering
and disseminating system, and a warning system to which people will
readily respond.
There is urgent need for such a well coordinated joint action program
to prevent or minimize possible massive bloodshed and destruction. How
to cope with various scenarios of attacks and their gruesome aftermath
are fundamental considerations for the government security bodies. The
various strategies and actions that need to be taken at different times,
as counter measures to cope effectively with situations, and to manage
specific situations need to be examined carefully.
Some actions have to be planned and executed by government, whereas
others by organizations, institutions and community groups. Individual
households should be ready with their own specific security measures.
Among the complex of security actions that are involved, some may be
emergency preparedness actions, some are surveillance and intelligence
gathering actions, some are warning actions, some are actions that need
to be taken at the onset and during a crisis, some actions relate to
the period immediately following a crisis situation, and still others
relate to education, training and exercising of action plans and procedures.
Comprehensive planning against terrorist violence is necessarily a multi-agency
activity involving multi-tasks. It cannot be overemphasized that to
be effective, effective security planning requires the input of the
people at large who are the potential victims of terrorism, and also,
necessarily the communications and media establishments. The diversity
of required actions and related planning and implementation tasks call
for the active participation of departments such as Disaster Services,
Police, Armed forces, Ambulance and Health Services, Hospitals, Telecommunications,
Transport services, Public information and media services. Effective
coordination of actions is of fundamental importance in order to avert
or minimize loss of life, injuries and property damage.
The cooperation and active participation of the general public in surveillance,
vigilance, gathering and transmitting relevant information, warning
and emergency actions, well coordinated by government authorities, will
help to minimize losses to a great degree. People should be considering
this as a national service they have undertaken for the security and
protection of peace-loving people of the country. Youth needs to be
mobilized to the fullest. The co-operation of people is indispensable
as observers, informants and as volunteers at times of crisis/emergencies.
Some may be hired to do specialized services for a payment. People should
be told what to look for and what exactly to do, how to do it, and when
to do, what not to do, and who to inform etc. Residential area vigilance
by groups of residents taking turns, could be organized by local voluntary
organizations.
REQUIRED ACTIONS: EMERGENCY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
1. Through widest possible publicity using all means available, the
general public should be constantly reminded of the need for extreme
vigilance on their part to observe, identify, monitor and report suspicious
and strange persons and incidents in their neighborhoods;
2. Television and radio services should be used to the fullest to regularly
inform and warn people;
3. Newspapers, handbills etc to be published in all three languages
on what to observe and where to report;
4. Government to publicize a few emergency telephone numbers for free
emergency calls, numbers that could be easily remembered;
5. It is necessary to have a wide and efficient network of
emergency telephone access system without jamming;
6. Major 24 hour Emergency Response Centres (ERC) need to be established
in each urban centre, where all emergency planning, actions and communications
are coordinated. All security and emergency services will be represented
here – Police, Ambulance, Telecommunications, Health, Transport,
Disaster Service team coordinators, Media and other appropriate Government
agencies; Emergency planning and training activities to be centred in
the ERC’s.
7. Emergency Coordinating Centres (ECC) need to be established in appropriate
strategic locations within each community, preferably in police stations
and connected to the major ERC and other neighboring ECC’s via
easily accessible telephone service;
8. ECC’s need to have trained staff and proper communication facilities;
9. Establish trained Emergency Response teams in each of
these ECC’s;
10. Reliable emergency vehicles should be available for
response teams in each ECC
11. Special emergency preparedness and response plans to be developed
for schools, hospitals, prisons, and other places with large concentration
of people; exercising of such plans;
12. Identify strategic points in detailed maps of all major urban
areas, priority given to places with a high density of population. Owing
to their potential for damage and distress of a widespread nature, public
utilities and services such as underground storm-water and sewage networks,
power lines, telephone networks, urban water supply systems, irrigation
tanks and canals, Hydro power generation stations and related structures,
should be monitored for safety;
.
13. Identify high risk locations such as petroleum refinery, petrol
stations & storages, flammable industries, bus stations, train stations
etc.
14. On the basis of each street in Colombo and other big towns, identity
the following:
(a) Sites and locations where Essential Services are coordinated and
provided and strategic points of these sites/locations;
(b)Major government Buildings – emphasis on buildings used by many
– eg. Schools, office
(c)Other public buildings – banks, temples, etc. etc.
(d)Major Private buildings in the neighborhood of public Buildings;
15. Examine and monitor all public transit systems - buses, trains,
taxis, three wheelers, private vehicles, motor cycles;
16. Ensure the availability of trained professional security personnel
and volunteers when required in different locations;
17. Hospital Emergency Plans to be developed, updated and exercised
18. Develop, improve and exercise Ambulance and related services plans
19. Paramedical Services and ready availability of required equipment/resources
20. Design and Conduct Training programs on special aspects of emergency
preparedness and response;
21. Seek advice from friendly countries such as Pakistan, on public
safety, emergency management and counter terrorism measures.
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