CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

They have done it again ? Commander of the Air Force is answerable.

By Charles.S.Perera

When the Anuradhapura Army camp was bombed by the terrorists air crafts, it was first put to the failure of the Indian Radar System to have spotted the air crafts. But when the Air Forces Commander Roshan Goonetilleke was asked whether the Indian Radar System had spotted the two terrorists air crafts, he had replied that it worked well. Then whose fault was it that the Army Camp was attacked , caused the death of 20 LTTE terrorists and 12 personnel of the Security forces, and allowed the aircrafts to fly back safely to terrorist territory after bombardments?

In a subsequent attack, when the Minister of Information Anura P.Yapa insisted that there was no Indian Radar system failure to spot the terrorists air crafts, a security personnel who did not want to be identified had said that the Indian Radar System had failed to spot the terrorists air crafts. If the Radar System had spotted the terrorists air crafts as the Minister Yapa had insisted, why no prompt action was taken to attack the air crafts. Who was at fault ?

Again in another attack, (there were seven of them) in May 2007, there was the question whether the Indian Radar system had failed to function , the Indian authorities who provided the Radar system said that the system functioned well and if it did not work well, it was an operational problem and not a system problem.

When in another terrorists attack by the terrorists using their aircraft, it was said that an Indian Technician who was in charge of the operation of the system was wounded.

Indian Radar System was acquired on a recommendation made by a previous Indian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, when negotiation were being made to by a more modern 3D radar detecting system was to be purchased from China.

Each time these tin planes of the terrorists carried out a successful attack the Radar System had worked well, but the damage had been done by the terrorists planes, gone back safely to where they had come from, while the Security Forces had failed to take any action and give flimsy excuses for their failure.

These tin planes may perhaps be coming from a costal airstrip in Tamil Nadu. But the sad thing about it, is that the terrorists with their meagre possessions are capable of causing damage to men and material, and our now sophisticated Air Force cannot stop them.

There is some thing sinister and serious going on. The investigations after each of these attacks fizzle out, without no one being informed of the out come of these investigations. The people have a right to know what is going on.

Why had the Minister of Information after one of these attacks had insisted that the Radar system worked well, when there was evidence that it had not ? Then again why had the Air Force Commander Roshan Goonetilleke, insisted that the Indian Radar System worked well, but did not say why he had failed to follow up with counter measures ?

There are so many unanswered questions. This does not seem to be the end there will be some more attacks and they are all going to be successful. The question is what are going to be the next targets of these terrorists flying machines ? Some body out side Killinochchi seems to be aware ? The President, and the Defence Secretary in the Absence of the Army Commander Sarath Fonseka should take immediate action to avert a greater disaster that is being planned some where, by some one.

To begin with the Indian technicians who are manning the Radar System should be withdrawn. Then the Indian Radar System should be dismantled, and negotiations should be made for the immediate purchase and installation of the Chinese 3D Radar System. Information Minister Anura P.Yapa should be questioned as to why if he knew that the Indian Radar System had spotted the terrorist Air Crafts, he did not investigate the reasons for the failure to take immediate action to attack the terrorists air crafts.

The Air Force Commander who was responsible for the detection of enemy air crafts entering into the Sri Lanka air space, seems to have failed in his duty to take protective measures, therefore he should be immediately replaced by another . His neglect has caused many lives, apart from the cost of the material destroyed in those attacks.

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