LTTE Moths Can't Do Much?

D.K.W. Dias.

"Sri Lanka Air Port to Close at Night" is a news item appeared today in the media. Contrary to what SL Army Commander said these moths can do hell of a damage. Can't they? Our army commander told the press the other day that LTTE aircrafts are like moths and can do no significant damage to facilities. But moths can destroy a whole forest a bit by bit. Can't they? They found their targets three times in a row accurately while SL army was shooting the moon in the dark. Best solution for Sri Lankan leaders is to ask International Community's help as to if we could park our planes at Chennai Air Port.

Here is the damage: Millions in loss revenues and job losses created due to disruption of tourism industry, empty hotel rooms, cancellation of international flights, diversion of international shipping and freight operations, disinvestment by foreign investors in the country, high cost of insurance due to increased risk of conducting business and the list goes on. The psychological and moral collapse due to insecurity is inestimable. Even the physical damage though played down by naïve politicians and commanders, is not negligible. Why? Killing and wounding 22 airmen in the first sortie is an enormous damage because they were well trained human resource for the task at hand.

The positive side is that Rajapaksha's Minin Air with single plane will have the sole proprietorship for landing rights in Katunayake Airport which had every major Airline in the world landing prior to 1985. To give whom the credit is due-what an accomplishment by Prabha and SL leaders over 30 years.

Pacifism or Clueless?

Pacifist mentality once destroyed half the world. It was megalomaniac Hitler whom the world pacified during 1940-1945. When the dust settled half the world was in ruins. Now the bankrupt leaders of Sri Lanka ( SL) are trying to pacify another megalomaniac, Prabha. The each sortie his two or three aircraft air force completes with a success Sri Lankan leaders fall in to denial mode. They are awaiting the arrival of peace makers or the international community who did nothing but bought much needed time for terrorists outfit over 30 years. Needless to remind here the performance of the first international community (India) that intervened to solve the problem. They came at the exact moment when LTTE faced elimination in the hands of armed forces lead by Gen. Kobbekaduwe, Col. Boteju and Brig. Wimalaratne which drove the terrorist from their ancestral home, Vadamarachchi.

And we are still awaiting the arrival of saviour --the International Community to tame the terrorists. Is this an international problem between two or more nations? Perhaps the SL leaders do not realize that very word International Community is a fluid concept. It is a non entity. The word was coined by the U.S. to gain public support for its international adventures like invading Iraq. This non entity with constantly changing structure goes where the resources are but not where the terrorists are. The classic case is Thatcher flying to Colorado in 1991 to meet senior Bush even before Emir of Kuwait could get to Washington D.C, when his country was invaded by Saddam. Why? The reason is Oil. Junior Bush fabricated a web of lies to go to Iraq-Why? Again Oil resource is the objective. Bleeding heart NATO is in Afghanistan because poor Afghans are suffering?-they too have gas and oil, and some terrorists. So do we have it? Nope!

So Mr. Rajapaksha is patiently awaiting for international community nay saying that we do not have a war and we are ready for peace. Every sortie Prabha's miniature Air Force completes successfully SL president falls back on to denial mode. And his brother, the defence secretary said that LTTE would be wiped out from East before the past New Year. Are n't they still there?

It is like drunken head of the household saying his family "turn off the lights when the burglars come so they can not find you. They may take your assets because they have flash lights and guns. You can not see them in the dark so they can not see you either and we are even." But they even can kill you. Did not they kill or injure 22 of our soldiers in the debut itself. Hey not a big deal our Kafirs and Migs were intact and our cheap 2-D radars were off. The army spokesman Brig. Samarasinghe said that next time they will come and not return. Talk is cheap. Damage is not trivial as our army commander says. When do our leaders attain age and reach puberty? Winston Churchill called upon all Brits to cancel even their private birthday parties when the U.K. was at war with Germany. In comparison our leaders watch Cricket when the country is burning. Pay courtesy calls to Pope to assure Catholics will be treated fairly. Have we been treating them badly? Alas! What a lack of leadership and what a tragedy for a wonderful country.