LAUNCH OF AIR TIGER Inc

Shenali Waduge

Whether the attack was minimal or not the tigers proved to the world and the Sri Lankan Government that whatever Kfirs, MIGs the GOSL possessed it could also steer not one but two self-assembled aircrafts all the way from the North to hit Sri Lanka’s main Air force base in Katunayake.

The preparation for the attack would have been known by more than a few for immediately following the attack web circulations of press releases and photo shoots of the beaming pilots with the tiger supremo and the aircraft itself were released globally. It is to their credit that those who knew about the attack were able to keep mum about the whole affair.

The latest we hear following the attack is that the radars were faulty – possibly gathering rust as it is not every day that enemy aircrafts suddenly arrive to drop bombs on a major base that too in Colombo. If we had radars donated by a foreign government, should not the technicians handling such ensure that they are in working condition at all times. If negligence is to be the cause of what occurred then we can very well imagine the fate of the tsunami/earthquake detectors that have been installed. It is rumored that the Air Force had been informed a good one hour before the attack that an unidentified aircraft was hovering over the skies. Given the security situation in the country shouldn’t our armed personnel be on guard AT ALL TIMES & looked into this very rare scenario?

Even if the light aircrafts traveled over 400kms to arrive in Katunayake, surely we had enough personnel & aircrafts faster than theirs to follow them when they were retreating to the jungles. Why is it that no SL Aircrafts took to the air in pursuit of the enemy? Wouldn’t the destruction of the two aircrafts immediately after their attack on us been better than having to now watch in anticipation of another gruesome attack?

The public through the media have been under the impression the armed forces have clearly got an edge over the tigers at least in the East. We are all under the impression that the tigers are demoralized & retreating to the North. But then suddenly we are faced with back to back attacks almost simultaneously. The sudden attack resulting in minimal deaths because of the presence of mind by a soldier on duty and the first attack purely because the pilots lacked experience in precision dropping. Can the Defense establishments perhaps reveal approximately how many tiger bases there are in both the east and north so that we may start eliminating the numbers against the success rates of the SL Air Force. We hear with great delight the successful air raids and destruction of tiger bases but somehow their strength has yet to diminish. The GOSL should remember that it is none other than the public that is bearing the burden of not only up keeping a jumbo cabinet and Parliament but also having to bear the cost of living for every purchase made towards the war and all the corrupt and wasteful actions of all the Politicians in the country. Without preaching to the public on stages, all Parliamentarians should remember this without making life miserable for us especially the fiasco on the roads nowadays with the backup security and road closures. Parliamentarians should remember too that it is not their sweat that brings in money and upholds the economy of the country. It is the hard toil of each and every citizen of the country barring the politicians whose job is merely to talk shop & preach to everyone other than themselves.

From the public point of view we can only deduce once again that amongst the ordinary citizens of all denominations none of us work or live with the thought of ethnicity or hatred enough to eliminate another from the country we are born into.

The seed of hatred planted by a few for their own personal gains has now been turned into a money spinner for those engaged in it. Both the GOSLS and all those using arms are party to this business. They are all laundering money from the public to upkeep their plush lifestyles and fatten their purses. It has turned into such an ugly phenomenon that neither of the warring parties will ever decide to end it. To appease the world one party will carry out successful attacks and then give the turn to the next. The pattern is likely to continue as it has done for the past 25 years. We cannot hope for a manmade solution to the curse that has befallen our country. Perhaps a natural catastrophe should come and purge the country of all the ill elements that block us from not only being referred to as a Paradise island but really being one too.