SLA infantry and armored corps engaged in the Thoppigala offensive overran LTTE's 'Tora Bora' training base today. LTTE cadres had fled the area before army troops reached base premises thus avoiding any direct confrontations. Tora-Bora was the largest LTTE training base in Eastern province. Thoppigala operation continues with troops marching towards LTTE's Beiruit camp and several other camps in Thravikulam area.
Advance of the troops has slowed down to a crawl due to the hazardous environment set by fleeing tigers. Army engineering corps are tasked with the removal of several thousand landmines and deathtraps ('Maru Wal' in Singhalese) that are placed everywhere in the rough jungle terrain. Although the military claims that it has captured 98% of Thoppigala region, DefenceNet learns that this claim is false. More fierce and more decisive battles in Thoppigala offensive are yet to be fought. However, the army definitely holds the advantage of these battles with its elite units leading the charge and most of LTTE's supply routes cut off. [Video footage of the offensive can be found here. (Source: www.defence.lk) ]
Meanwhile SLAF fighter jets flew more than 4 sorties during the day, after a long silence. Sea tigers base complex in Silawathurei, LTTE bases in Thoppigala and identified targets west of Omanthai and Vavuniya were bombed using Jet bombers in the 10th fighter squadron. Damages caused by airstrikes are unknown at the moment.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found this article about the LTTE Victor unit. Would anyone happen to know when the incident that the article is referring to actually happened?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=3226
Furthermore, I found a disturbing article about the ongoing drama that is continuing relating to the Karuna faction.
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6302
That would be the Muhamalai "Debacle" in October last year.
ReplyDeleteAny truth to this defencenet? From TN:
ReplyDelete----------------------------
"Tigers raid SLA post in Mannaar border
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 June 2007, 02:19 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army Forward Defence post located between the SLA controlled Tha'l'laadi and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled territory in Mannaar was attacked by the Tigers Wednesday early morning around 2:30, Tiger officials told media in Ki'linochchi. Five SLA troopers were killed in the pre-dawn attack, they claimed and said the FDL post, located 500 meters away from the Tha'l'laadi SLA base, was destroyed in the attack. The Tigers seized a Light machine gun, two automatic rifles and a communication equipment in the pre-dawn raid.
A PK-LMG, two T-56 type-2 automatic rifles and a communication equipment were captured, LTTE field officials told media.
SLA soldiers operating from the FDL post were attempting to infiltrate the LTTE territory, LTTE officials said.
There were no LTTE casualties.
Tha'l'laadi SLA base is located 17 km southwest of LTTE controlled Vidaththaltheevu.
-----------------------------------
That means we have some more places to overrun at Thoppigala.
ReplyDeleteThanks jack anyway for the tamilnet information.
And oshada remember that miss-coordinated mission on Muhamalai, it's about that. Anyway LTTE Victor unit is almost half dead without Lt. Col Akbar. Ans SL Troops will take care of the other half.
dickwijay, defence.lk is reporting two similar incidents now I'm not sure which is the one tamilnet is talking about, one they say LTTE attacked troops at Tallady causeway, other they say LTTE atatcked Avaranthulawa village near Vavuniya, in both incidents two troops were killed according to the MoD.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all.. it's becoming very difficult to make a post here as it seems to takes ages to load the post a comment page..
ReplyDelete........
Secondly, it's ok to lose armoured vehicles but not soldiers..
Are our forces using sill string? I heard that the US forces in iraq are using silly string to fish out booby traps, especially "maru wel" type ones.
ReplyDeleteThey could be very useful in the thoppigala battles. Are they using it? If not it might a very good idea to rush a large consignment of silly strings over the thoppigala including other theatres of operation..
A very disturbing article if true:What do you think?http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2007/June/27/20070627_1.htm
ReplyDeletethanks for the articles
ReplyDeleteSL I don't get that article, how is sending back all the Tamils from the UK a threat to the Government? Wouldn't it be more a threat to the LTTE, and I just can't see any western government even getting away with something like that. I would be very doubtful of these claims.
ReplyDeleteDefense net
ReplyDeleteCan u confirm .. did our SF team achieved a big target last few days by killing high rank LTTE thug ???
Can some one confirm please
By the way, SL Armed Services now have an accomplished and self appointed adviser.
ReplyDelete..Tamilchellan !!!
@hasalaka,
ReplyDeleteI saw an article in Lankadeepa today
"six tigers including a major has got caught to a claymore in Mannar"
http://www.lankadeepa.lk/2007/06/28/front_news/06.html
Hello Jack..i agree with you. come to think of it the article is misleading.If you believe the article it is a question about how much foreign currency the tamil diaspora bring into the country.
ReplyDeleteWonder y British suddenly showing a huge interest in SriLankan affairs. I wish new Primeminister will helps Sri Lanka destroy the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world instead of indirectly helping them. Why not they institue legal proceedings against the most ruthless terrorist in the world Prabakaran at Hague International Courts for the crimes he commited against humanity which have now claimed the lives over70000 tamils,Sinhalese n Muslims?. Maybe British have received the plan of Greater Eelam which is curved out of North and East of Sri Lanka entire Tamilnadu state and the nothern most atoll of Maldives which will make the Tamil Eelam the holder of huge bounadaries in the Indian ocean.If by a freak accident that dream comes true this region will b a more of a killing field than the Middle East.
ReplyDelete[I don't have the source of this article. This is being forwarded to me by a friend in overseas. Intresting reading..]
ReplyDeleteRebels Ask For A Ceasefire
June 28, 2007: The fighting continues at a low level, causing several hundred casualties a week, and a steady decline in the amount of territory controlled by the LTTE.
June 27, 2007: The LTTE has called for a resumption of the ceasefire. The LTTE resumed attacks in 2005, after a nationalist (no partition of the island) government was elected. This backfired, as it turned out that three years of ceasefire had made LTTE weaker and the army stronger. The Western nations providing aid to Sri Lanka are threatening to reduce that aid if the fighting between the LTTE and the government does not stop. The donor nations are also upset at the amount of aid that has been stolen by government and LTTE officials.
June 26, 2007: In the north, soldiers and police have had some success in detecting and stopping LTTE terrorists crossing into government territory with roadside bombs.
June 24, 2007: A navy patrol spotted a suspicious boat off the north coast, moving among a group of fishing boats. When the navy got closer, the suspect boat exploded, indicating it was an LTTE smuggling operation. Recently, the navy has eased restrictions on where fishing boats could go and, as expected, the LTTE smugglers are trying to take advantage of this.
June 23, 2007: The army continues to find and destroy the remaining LTTE camps in the east. In the north, the LTTE is using more roadside bombs and ambushes to try and impede army advances into territory formerly controlled by the LTTE. Some of the LTTE attacks have been carried out in government controlled territory. This is made possible because of the large Tamil population in the north. The Tamil civilians are still too intimidated by the LTTE to report on such terrorist activity.
June 22, 2007: Britain has arrested the two top LTTE representatives in the country, and broke up the LTTE "tax collection" organization, that used intimidation to force local Tamils into making donations. The tax collectors got to keep a percentage of whatever they collected, making it a very lucrative undertaking. A similar operation in Sri Lankas capital was also uncovered and shut down. There are many Tamil refugees in the capital, and the LTTE demanded that they donate.
June 21, 2007: LTTE fighters in the east have been told by the LTTE high command to fend for themselves. Most have already done that, either surrendering or trying to blend back into the civilian population.
No doubt , LTTE strategy has back fired...Velu screwed it up...
ReplyDelete2 SLA soldiers killed in Claymore ambush in Jaffna
ReplyDelete[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 June 2007, 06:38 GMT]
Unidentified attackers triggered a Claymore mine Thursday morning around 9:30 in Naavaanthu'rai, kiilling two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers riding on bicycles along Naavaanthu'rai-Kaakkaitheevu road in the outskirts of Jaffna city. The injured were rushed to Palaali military hospital while the SLA is engaged in a cordon and search operation around the site of the ambush.
Yes a senior LTTE cadre (who was ranked Major) and 5 others were killed in a DPU claymore attack west of Mannar.
ReplyDeleteDefence spokesman Rambukkwella says 99% of the are is captured but according to knowledgable sources including defencenet only about 80% is under SL Army control
ReplyDeleteI think these type of statement by 2 bit cheap politicians are undermining the sacrifice, commitment and tough conditions the soldiers are undergoing in an around Thoppigala. These politikkas are holding media conferences in a/c halls in Colombo trying to put deadlines (by saying that east will be cleared 1 week,2 week………..etc) which will put pressure on commanders to sacrifice more lives of soldiers.
The remaining Tigers at thoppigala must be the most hard core cadres who will more likely kill themselves before surrendering. It will be a very tough battle to take over the remaining area. The so called defence spokesman is trying to belittle the achievement of the troops by trying to imply that it is such a simple task like a Sunday evening stroll on the beach. These worthless fuckers should be put to the battlefront instead off zipping around Colombo in 6-8 vehicles.
By the way do anybody have a map of the Thoppigala area I’d like to find out where all these places like narkamulla? is located
I just loooooove to read about LRRP hits... keep it up guys! No point trying to kill all those LTTE conscripts... go for the leadership!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Velu must be busy promoting his conscripts to higher ranks everyday... heeeeee heeee... ;-)
Btw DefenceNet, just noticed that the following site publishes your posts, word by word, without even mentioning the source.
http://www.independentsl.com/cgi-bin/newsscript1.cgi?record=1882
I found an interesting pick on the web. I do not recognise this plane. It is definitely SLAF. Could it be a beechcraft?
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/photo/070628/photos_wl_sa_afp/8c42f48e762bad6630d32e5ac7886e9a
Cable im no military man however i dont think it will put pressure on the defense establishemnt to speed up the thoppigala operation.Many reasons:last thing we need are more casualities due to political interference.But it is advantageous to the army to speed up the operation as they see fit so other depleted units can be strengthened-overall save casualties-after all we dont want 5 members of SLDF dying everyday-in this case the victory when it comes will be ahollow one.
ReplyDeletecable im sure these statments are what has been told to politicos by army brass according to a definite well considered plan.It has worked so far hasnt it?.the most important of all we have to have faith in the SLDF-im sure our faith in our brave troops will be well rewarded.What is however really worrying me is the british connection..
ReplyDeleteThe best map i can think of is a free software package on google..which enables you to focus anywhere in the world..cant remember what it is called.
ReplyDeleteDefecenet Can you correct me on this;
ReplyDeleteThis is what Mangala told to Hindustan Times:
"I am not at all satisfied with the way the war is being fought. It is being fought in the media. It is used to cover up all the sins of the regime. Soldiers are being sacrificed unnecessarily," he contended.
"The truth is that the LTTE has become stronger during the present regime. It has acquired air power. Under the previous regime, the LTTE was getting internationally isolated. Many countries had banned it. But now, the international community is criticising the Sri Lankan government, not the LTTE!" he pointed.
"It was necessary to capture Sampur because the LTTE was threatening Trincomalee harbour from there. But Toppigala (which the army is hoping to take now) is only a vast empty land. We should have gone for talks after taking Sampur," Samaraweera said.
I think this is not good comment for our brave soldiers beacuse they might feel that they been used by politicians.
lankaputhra,
ReplyDeleteNormally we dont comment on politician's viewpoints. But calling Thoppigala a 'vast empty land' is silly by anyone's standards.
As long as LTTE keeps operational bases in Thoppigala jungle, normalcy will never return to the eastern province. Best example is the killing of Hindu priest at Vakarai. LTTE cadres who murdered the priest came from Thoppigala jungles.
From civil life disruptions to regualr hit and run attacks on the army, everything will be planned and launched from those dense jungles if they are not chased away. Leaving Thoppigala up for grabs will definitely be a mistake. LTTE will smuggle in supplies, fortify bases and try to regroup ( like they have done many times before) if such an opportunity is given to them.
So making such statements is really a disgrace to the soldiers who lay their life for the country. You crawl through dense jungles watching your mates get hit all around you and what you've earned the country after all this torture is a 'vast empty land' or a 'desert'.
Politicians are the worst thing that has happened to this country.
Thamil Selvan is correct. Only CFA can save his Eelam.
ReplyDeleteLTTE has heavy whepons including two MBRLs. If SLA leave tigers in thoppigala they will do hit and runs, claymo games, abductions, recruitments and ransom collections. All SLA camps around thoppigala are under threat of LTTE heavy whepon fire. At some time later, after regrouping and getting ammo LTTE can distabilise east.
Thoppigala is a jungle, getting it and keeping it without tigers is very difficult. But SLA have to do it. At least they need to get MBRLs and 81mm motars and chase away tigers. Killing leaders and cadres be a bonus. Then what we need is cleverly planned propaganda campaign. This will put SL government in a strong position in future fake peace ceremony.
Government can give an "otuwa" to Sripathi to have a rest in "desert" and some "kolukarayas" to Mangala to have fun in the "empty land".
Oshada.... the yahoo pic mate is a Chinese made SLAF Y 12 Transport dropping SLA paratroopers.I think SLAF have abt 9 left, ideal for Lanka rough and hot airstrips !Carries abt 12 pax.Believed copied from De Havilland Twin Otter.Check SLAF on Flickr mate !
ReplyDeleteI agree with DefNet's comments about Mangala's comments re. Thoppigala.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest losses to the LTTE carcass-maggots since this war began is the loss of the East. The East was always the LTTE's ever-ready child-farm that produced cadres for its fighting ranks. Now with the East virtually gone, the LTTE's recruitment has suffered badly and they will find it extremely hard to keep up its fighting strength and that may well be the cause of its death in the not-too-distant future. After all, the LTTE can get all the money from the vile LTTE sympathetic expats, but without actual bodies to pick up the guns and fight, what good is the money?
Now, the East will never be liberated until Thoppi is totally free of these c-maggots as they have used it for a very long time to effectively carryout a classic guerilla war campaign against the SLDF.
Any fool who questions the validity of liberating Thoppi, in my view, is either another c-maggot or an opportunistic rascal out to discredit MR GOSL for cheap political gain, without any regard to the demoralizing effect that has on the brave boys on the war front. Therefore, such person should be considered guilty of treason and punished with "cruel and unusual" punishment.
OaO Asithri
Puffy:
ReplyDeleteMost DPU/LRRP attacks cannot be publicized by the SLDF.
[remember, SLDF are still abiding by the CFA and any actions SLDF have taken so far has been a "defensive" measure only as always justified by the GOSL's Rambukwella! :)) Now, going deep into the LTTE occupied territory for a covert assassination would be, uncategorically, a violation of the CFA so SLDF cannot ever claim responsibility! Fabulous isn't it? LMSSAO!].
Such attacks often also go totally unreported as the LTTE carcass-maggots too keep quiet out of sheer humiliation as keeping a brave front and an "in control" image is what assures those contributions from their supporters keep coming.
So the moral of the story:
DPU/LRRP surgical strikes ("clean ups" or suddha-kerillas as we call them in Sinhela) are really the best! Yes, we need to see more of them.
OaO Asithri
Cable, if you've got broadbaand, download Google Earth, if not, you can use Wikimapia.
ReplyDeleteLankaputhra & Defencenet, while I agree that Mangala's comment is just silly and is that of a politician trying to find fault, we should not attempt to shout down their statements on the grounds that it'll be harmful to soldiers' morale, etc. That's life. Those soldiers are dying so that we can have the freedoms of democracy, and to stifle those freedoms for the sake of the Army is to betray their sacrifice. Right now, some politicians are attempting to bring in the Criminal Defamation act, whic will prevent ANY criticism of the war, even online. Comments by people like Asithri who liken any questioning of GoSL military policy to treason are reflective of this betrayal of the military. The military fights so that we can be free, not so that we can be restricted. If we wanted media repression, unquestioning obedience to the state, and the stifling of our rights to speech, movement, etc, then we'd be no different to Prabha.
Asithri;
ReplyDeleteYa! agree with U mate... the GoSL & SLDF seems to be using this good-for-nothing "CFA" very effectively now to do lot of mischief and seems to be getting away with it (like the LTTE used to do and still does)...
Oh! And I just looooooove the way they use the word "Humanitarian Missions" to kick LTTE ass... ;-)
As for the LRRPs, well Asithri, I've been a BIG fan of these guys and whenever I hear that they have taken a target, it just makes my day dude... just makes my day :-)
And like U said, those LTTE maggots never admit any LRRP hits and always report them as 'Accidental Explosions'... AE my ass... ;-)
Btw, saw on TV yestersay (28th) our hero Lt.Gen. Sarath Fonseka touring the east and checking the progress of Thoppigala offensive (sorry! Humanitarian Mission ;-) )... looks like we will see the 'Final Thrust' in to Thoppi very soon, ha!
Good Luck Guys!
whoa asithri
ReplyDeletegood to see you back. agree totally with you mate...
Those DPU boys must be toughest soldiers to walk in this planet.
PS2 tactical shooter games are enough to let your mind wonder how much much more tough the real thing is...
Hats off to those who brave bullets, jonny mines, booby traps etc and almost certain death any nano second to fight off ltte bastards...
I hope our stupid politicians don't let these sacrifices go in vain.
Give the tamils a political solution short of a separate country or risking a separate country and save our boys from getting killed in the battlefront.
One question, how exactly are our DPU boys inserted into a hotzone? I know most of them are airborne qualified......do they go in as paras?
ReplyDeleteWhat is left for the forces to capture in thoppigala?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailynews.lk/2007/06/29/fea02.asp
ReplyDelete"One question, how exactly are our DPU boys inserted into a hotzone?"
ReplyDeleteThey usually walk in at night or are dropped off by the Navy. Sometimes by chopper, but that's rare.
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=4318
ReplyDeleteI Found this article on LankaENews and as usual it contains misleading and biased facts. ITs written by a person called Eknaligoda.(Eknaligoda disave was the person responsible for betraying the last king of Sri Lanka to the British...You see bad blood doesn't change for generations....) ANYWAY just have a look guys...
David as for the DeepPenetrationUnits HEROES..what about mines around the camps at night?
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean, SL. Do you mean Army camps? If so, they all have entrances/exits. How else do people get in or out?
ReplyDeleteDavid ..what i meant was if DPUs are used to attack LTTE camps at night how do they manage to evade the mines placed.?
ReplyDeletecome on Sri Lakan, LTTE never puts mines on their regular ways. Our units are not just dumping there and it goes with reliable information with intelligence. Thats their main worry. Even they cant mange information leek.
ReplyDeleteSo far the LRRP/DPUs seem to be engaged mostly in ambush ops in LTTE rear areas rather than attacks on camps per se (which is usually done by Commando and SF units). In the few instances where they've entered LTTE bases, I guess they sneaked in while defusing the camp's defences the saame way LTTE saboteurs do in our camps.
ReplyDeleteInteresting ..
ReplyDeleteLTTE 'torture chambers' located - Thoppigala
www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070629_04
Thanks David and Dickwijaya
ReplyDeletesuperb info!!can someone tell me what type/make of MBRL'S does the SLA currently process.I'm aware of 16 czech built RM71'S.Have we got anymore?i would appreciate d deatails.tkx
ReplyDeleterifard,
ReplyDeleteI think we do have some Pakistani built older MBRLs tool. I dont know the exact models but it was Pakistan who first donated an MBRL to SLA during 2000s as i remember.
according to this article we only have RM-70s -
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Army
On the note about the tigers having 2 small MBRLs, can't they be Katyushas that were used by Hamas against isreal.Ive noted that these types of weapons are used by lot of terrorist organizations around the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha
Another 1 ton Truck bomb found by the SL Navy in Trinco.
ReplyDeletelink
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=6418
looks like uncle prabha is trying to send us some "gifts" to make life in CBO a blast!!
keep ur eyes peeled.......
good job Navy keep it up...
any news on this guys?...DefenceNet?
DefenceNet
ReplyDeleteI had a bad incident at checkpoint today with this cop who tends to harass us with excessive checking on a regular basis.
My wife is a tamil and this racist cop knows it after many stops at this point... He targets her and goes through every little personal belonging of her at checkups... this includes even the wallet...sifting though cash etc...
I'm very cooperative at points understanding the situation but hell there has to be a point to it also. At least there should be a female officer to go though ladies belongings and this cop in question is one sleazy man i suppose to only check my wife's wallet and not mine... I had a major row with the army sergeant and the cop in question over this and they threatned to arrest me also.. I didn't give a shit cos as supporter of armed forces in general i was ashamed of their conduct...
What are your thoughts on this.
Do they have the right to check you at roadside going though all your personal belongings in an almost daily basis without any reason whatsoever...
What can a cvilian do on an occasion like this...
sorry for the post...but i think this is very important if some fools are letting down the good work of true heroes in this conflict
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBlacker:
ReplyDelete"Comments by people like Asithri who liken any questioning of GoSL military policy to treason are reflective of this betrayal of the military."
Not so. This is simply garbage...I say reflective of your lack of comprehension of my underlying message and/or simple wisdom on your part.
For the benefit of all, let me elaborate:
This not about “the freedom of speech” during a TIME OF PEACE. This is about outright lies on the part of a failed "drop-out" who now has an axe to grind and who is now doing so to score cheap political mileage - during a TIME OF WAR, at the expense of jeopardizing national security.
This rotten a-hole (Mangala) was not long ago in the GOSL praising the SLDF's gains and stressing the need to "subdue" the LTTE militarily if peace is ever to dawn on SL. Now we all know that after Sampoor, the LTTE was not "subdued" and hence the need to continue to hit the fcukers (er, I mean liberate) more, like liberating the Thoppi. However, this a-hole now has the gall to say that we should have "gone for peace talks after Sampoor!" Yes, that is because not that he believes in that statement (he knows well that if SLDF stopped after Sampoor, in no time the LTTE would have regrouped in the Thoppi with reinforcements/supplies from Vanni and counter attacked the SLDF in the East in a matter of time), but only to discredit MR GOSL’s successful military campaign and score points.
Attacking your political opponents with criticism (fairly or unfairly) to score points is quite alright as that is what politics is all about world over. However, when someone does that and the effect of it is to demoralize the population during a TIME OF WAR to the degree that it can result in many ill consequences such as, for example, poor response to SLDF recruitment campaigns (because the thinking then will be "why die for an unnecessary, wasteful cause?), and that directly benefits the LTTE terrorists, then we have a problem as you are in essence looking at TREASON.
During the WWII, all public utterances, either by the media or by individuals, were tightly controlled in Britain under a stringent "anti-subversion act" which was enacted to expressly forbid the demoralizing of the population (and the consequently demoralize the British troops as troopers come from not the sky, but the population) so that the enemy (i.e. the Nazis) can gain an upper hand. So, there is nothing new about the need to curb subversion through untruthful or rumor based utterances during a TIME OF WAR.
During PEACE time, anything goes and any form of such restriction is totally undemocratic and should be abhorred.
Someone who finds it difficult to understand this simple rationale, in my view, is a freaking door-knob! LMSSAO! :)) :)) :))
OaO Asithri
"Someone who finds it difficult to understand this simple rationale"
ReplyDeleteAsithri, the fact that you feel it's necessary to end your argument with this ad hominum line, gives me the impression that you are mistrustful of your own argument. If you're confident of it, you should be ready to defend it against counter-arguments rather than saying anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot (much like the LTTE & the GoSL does when they say that anyone who criticizes them is a traitor).
But I'll indulge you anyway. While what you say about Mangala maybe true, the issue of free speech and the right to question the elected government is larger than just Mangala, I'm sure you'll agree. I'm also sure that you'll agree that we can't have one law to deal with Mangala and another for others. Therefore the law concrning free speech has to be the same for all and clear to all. In this the constitution is quite clear -- if you read the section on free speech you will find no clause differentiating a time of war from a time of peace. The constitution guaraantees aall Sri Lankans the same rights in time of war and peace.
"However, when someone does that and the effect of it is to demoralize the population during a TIME OF WAR"
How do you come with the assumption that the population (or even a majority of it) is demoralised by Managala's statements? Even if you could prove that they are, it is still his right. It is then upto the GoSL to raise morale with counter-statements and propoganda, not by laws to stifle speech. If they are need to resort to such laws, it'll be obvious to the population that the GoSL has no defence and therefore is shutting up critics. So it's counter-productive.
"it can result in many ill consequences such as, for example, poor response to SLDF recruitment campaigns ((because the thinking then will be "why die for an unnecessary, wasteful cause?)"
Even if there is that result (which is unlikely), it's upto the GoSL to convince potential recruits (and in fact the general population) that the cause is indeed noble and true. Shutting up the opposition just gives the impression that the truth is being stifled (even if it isn't the truth). A case in point is the blocking of TamilNet. We all know that site is mostly full of rubbish, but now that it's blocked people (many who've never visited the site) are beginning to think that maybe the GoSL has something to hide.
"During the WWII, all public utterances, either by the media or by individuals, were tightly controlled in Britain under a stringent "anti-subversion act" which was enacted to expressly forbid the demoralizing of the population"
The world has changed in the last 60 years. In WW2 the population got their info from a very narrow and limited number of sources (newspapers, radio, and public statements by prominent individuals in leadership), and controlling those sources was effective (if unethical). Today such measures are ineffective because there are so many sources of info that the GoSL cannot block. Therefore they just look silly (and worse) crooked. Also, the right to free speech is universally accepted and enshrined in our constitution.
"and the consequently demoralize the British troops as troopers come from not the sky, but the population"
Since Britain had a conscription in effect at the time the numbers were not affected.
"So, there is nothing new about the need to curb subversion through untruthful or rumor based utterances during a TIME OF WAR"
No it's not new, just out dated. If the administration feels a statement is untrue or a rumour, it should take legal action in the courts to prove it or counter it by telling the truth.
Just blindly saying "the Brits did it so let's do it" is unrealistic, and I'm surprised you are so willing to follow the practices of foreigners. In WW2 the US simply incarcerated all US citizens of Japanese descent, claiming it was an act justified in time of war. They have been roundly criticized for this and have acknowledged it was a mistake. Should we just blindly do the saame ssimply because it was an act done in time of war 60 years ago? The Nazis did more or less the same thing as the Brits when it came to censorship. Should we follow the Nazis?
"During PEACE time, anything goes and any form of such restriction is totally undemocratic and should be abhorred. "
As I told you, there's no such distinction in the constitution.
During previous administrations we saw monumental cockups that could have been prevented if people were allowed to question the politicians and the military brass.
ReplyDeleteDuring Ratwatte's ill-managed offensive up the A9, there should have been questioning of his management of the war. If that happened hundreds of soldiers would still be alive. They were sacrificed because the GoSL of the time wouldn't allow criticism.
When EPS fell, CBK was in command, and not the Army Commander. All operational matters were relayed to her by him while sshe was in London and she phoned back with orders for the battalion and brigade commanders who were right at that moment being overrun. If military practices of that time had been questioned and criticised the thousands of young men lost in that defeaat would still be alive today.
We owe it to our soldiers to make sure they're properly led and deployed. To blindly put all faith in the Army Commander and the SecDef and say only traitors will question or criticize them is to betray those young men who are risking their lives for us. Make sure they don't die for nothing, or so that a politician or civil servant can get aa new Pajero. No one is infallible or perfect (not even Gotabya Rajapakse or Sarath Munasinghe). They are servants of the nation, and the nation has the right to question them. Our soldiers our fighting to preserve those rights, let'ss not throw them away.
As Benjamin Franklin said, "He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security".
Guys & Gals,
ReplyDeleteI just want to check whether there are any real patriots available here. One of my friends already visited to training facility of SLA recently and observed their real life over there.
It’s sad to say about three hundred trainees (newly recruited brave men) and their tutors were living in a very old building without having the basic facilities. Welikada prison is far better compared to their complex.
According to the commanding officer at this facility, what they having is enough for 150 heads but not for 300 heads.
After observing their real life, these guys were decided to spread the news among all these blogs and organize something to come-up with something meaningful.
They might need 25 sacks of cements, 14 – 20 number of ceiling fans, construction material such as PVC pipes to have a bath area, water tanks (to store water) & other commodities such as sleeping bags, mattresses and sport equipments.
They are willing to organize a friendly outing to that venue, and willing to organize couple of events to build a relationship with these brave men & then to handover the items to their commanding officer.
You can contact sinhala.lamaya@gmail.com for more information.
It’s better if we could collect either these items for them or else money (around 500 000.00 SLR) for them.
We can easily achieve this by contributing one day’s salary or else keeping one Friday night away from our selves.
Its time to show them that there are enough of young crowd to help them and to make there minds towards winning this war. To eliminate the bad guy out they need extensive support from you and me.
Expecting a good response from all of you….
Cheers…..
true patriot,
ReplyDeleteVery recently, we did something similar to what you say, at a regimental headquarters located in Northwestern province. Try to bypass all the politicians and give goods and services directly to the camp of concern.
It is also worthwhile for all of us to take an effort to go to the war hero memorial in Mailapitiya. It is a great place to develop a better appreciation of the sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters in defending our country. Names of all the war heroes (21,000+) are engraved in granite stones. I personally believe that this a place every Sri Lankan should visit just like going to A'pura.
True Patriot
ReplyDeleteyour idea is very good . I sent a mail to given address .
but how should I know whether this is a genuine effort or not . don't mad with me since we have heard enough about some people in the country
Tiger killer and all,
ReplyDeleteI do not want to tell loads of things to convince that this is a genuine work.
Send your name, Contact information, where you work at the moment and what sort of a contribution you can make.
It’s better to have a representative each from your organizations.
They will contact you and take you to the training facility prior to make any move.
Or else they will hold a meeting with you all and the relevant commanding officers.
These guys do not want to give a big publicity for this service and do not want to publish their organizations and the details. None of them expects publicity through this.
People spend millions of money to commemorate the dead ones. It’s true that we have to think about them. But think about the living beings also.
Our asses are always safe because of their brave efforts.
So don’t think twice. Make a move by sending your details and what sort of a contribution can be made?
Thanks
True-patriot,
ReplyDeleteI am sending you an email...
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteWe are not a charity organization and we do not want presence this as a charity event. This our responsibility and its show hour honor to their service.
We will publish all the information such as with whom you are going to interact with, when and how.
We do not want collect the items from you, and go there to present them.
We expect the physical presence of all of you guys and gals.
Is that possible for you all to make a team from your end, collect the items (finace). In meantime we’ll work with these commanding officers to collect their needs.
In meantime you can share the amount in hand or items which you are planning to handover (don’t purchase anything prior to the green light from this end).
Then we can prepare a sheet of items, can share it with you all and then we can assign items for each groups.
We’ll collect an official request from COs and forward it to you all.
Thanks
amal
ReplyDeletePlease save the whining for your rants at Indi's blog, David Blacker. Your self-righteous preaching really is a nuisance. You got owned by asithri, now deal with it like a man.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBlacker:
ReplyDelete“Therefore the law concrning free speech has to be the same for all and clear to all. In this the constitution is quite clear -- if you read the section on free speech you will find no clause differentiating a time of war from a time of peace. The constitution guaraantees aall Sri Lankans the same rights in time of war and peace.”
Poppycock, and clearly NOT so! Let me clarify:
It is true our Constitution (like any other Constitution worthy of mention) guarantees the freedom of expression and amongst other basic elements of human behavior (“freedom of association” is another important one), but during a TIME OF WAR, a country enacts special proviso via “emergency laws” that many constraint an individual’s right, or desire, to exercise one or more of those freedoms to the fullest as guaranteed by the Constitution.
The underlying rationale for “emergency laws” is that a temporary restriction on individuals’ freedom at a TIME OF WAR, although admittedly could be unpleasant and deemed “unconstitutional,” will undoubtedly promote security for a much large segment of the population, if not the whole nation.
Many countries, including the major “Western democracies” have enacted such special proviso and as recent as post-911, post-London bombings, saw such “emergency law” provisos enacted to protect the respective nation’s public security. As such, throwing “constitutional right” as a defense to argue why a dog-tick like Mangala or a feces-worm like Ranil W should not be tried for Treason doesn’t hold water! Each of these a-h’s is guilty of unambiguous treason – treason carried out for petty political gain!
Let me narrate a brief experience for the benefit of many patriots who visit here:
During one of those near two infamous years that Ranil W was the PM, I was in Colombo and happened to visit a “peace exhibition” in one of the government schools. As I said, I just dropped in out of curiosity and didn’t know anything about what this exhibition was other than the words “Peace” and “Ethnic Harmony” in the advertising slogans caught my eye. This was an art exhibition of art work done by school children from all over SL (so alleged the organizers), but mostly from the students in the N & E. What rattled my nerves was that the single-most underlying theme in all the artwork (done by children as they claimed; I had no way to verify) was it was totally anti-SLDF! Almost every single art showed the SLDF (SLA, SLN, SLAF, Police, STF) killing Tamil civilians, and often depictions were of killing women and children! There were pictures of mass-scale bombings of villagers and refugee camps (bombs falling down like raindrops!), SLA’s tanks going over women/children etc. Now what horrified me more was this was organized by a so called “peace movement” with the full blessings, and financial aid, from the Ranil W govt. and in fact, some of the facilities for the exhibition (like props and other material) were being provided by the SLA! (there were SLA soldiers at that very moment assisting with various chores!) and evidently, this was on the specific instruction from the RW govt. Later, fuming, I talked to one of my SLA honchos and he confirmed that RW govt. had ordered the defense establishment’s support for that exhibition and that “peace movement” was well known for holding such exhibitions all over SL and the specific aim was to discredit the SLDF and discourage recruitment for any future SLDF recruitment calls! The SLA honcho confirmed, yes, these campaigns were truly having a negative effect on the recruitment side and some of the drives SLA was into at the time (normal replacement, not build up) had to be scrapped due to poor response. Can you believe this – using the taxpayers’ money and the country’s army to discredit the very armed forces of the country - all done in the name of “freedom of expression?”…!!!
Back to Blacker:
“Since Britain had a conscription in effect at the time the numbers were not affected.”
Disagree. You can have conscription, but if you are conscripting demoralized men/youth into the army, then sure enough they will perform very poorly in the battlefield, which in turn is no different to if you had prevented them in the first place - except a demoralized trooper can endanger the lives of others in the heat of the battle! If you are an ex-military man as you claimed to be, then I am surprised you need elaboration on this simple fact!
You have raised a few valid points re. CBK/Ratwatte’s sole in-charge attitude during the Jayasikuru campaign which was a failure of sort although SLDF also killed over 2000 LTTE cadres (by LTTE’s own admission now).
However, to take that experience and apply to today’s events is like trying mix oil and water. The difference today is that MR GOSL has given the freedom for the SLDF commanders to execute the war, within the broader policy of the GOSL, with due military strategy as they are qualified and see fit to execute, without constant interference from the “politicians” and that has paid off handsome dividends. As such, when someone like Managala and Ranil W is into unfounded and unfair criticism of those accomplishments of the SLDF, it is done for no other reason than to spew out malicious false-propaganda for petty political gain, but as I said earlier, because such gain to themselves also confers distinct advantages to the LTTE terrorists, such attempts should be met head-on with charge of TREASON!
Here, we are not talking about average JoeBlow at a computer who spews out false propaganda in favor of the LTTE. On the contrary, we are talking about individuals who have taken oaths in the parliament to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Motherland, but are now into actions that are directly detrimental to that very oath!
‘The world has changed in the last 60 years.’ ‘Just blindly saying "the Brits did it so let's do it" is unrealistic,”
Indeed, the world has changed. However, the brilliant strategy executed by W. Churchill (which included the above said “anti-subversion” act) to beat Hitler and the Nazis, in my view still holds some good pointer-for-success for others.
“and I'm surprised you are so willing to follow the practices of foreigners.’”
At first I wanted to ignore this cheap comment, except I decided to set the record here for other patriots by saying:
I have never said it is wrong to follow a successful practice of a “foreigner.” There are enough historical accounts of our Sinhela warriors from even the Royalty who have fled as far as Siam and China to escape Dravidian invasions and then come back with new learned warfare skills (from those foreigners) to defeat the occupiers and so, learning from others and exchanging information to our advantage, has been a way of life for us always. What I have said is we Sinhelas DO NOT tolerate any foreign MF coming to our Motherland and occupying it, and treating us like second-class citizens! I am foreign educated (both under-grad and post-grad) and currently work and live in a foreign land, so I don’t think I have a problem with “follow the practices of foreigners.”
I leave all with a truly profound quote:
“One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.” - Douglas MacArthur
PEACE to all SL Patriots!
OaO Asithri
Asthiri, I'm with David somewhat that blanket censorship is not the way to go. True, the war is going above expectations right now and seems to be managed well, but the same could have been said about the early years of Chandika's term and op Jayasikuru. But if things start to go bad, as happened in the late '90s, there will be no checks in place.
ReplyDeleteThe government will try to hide everything and keep digging themselves deeper and deeper into trouble, and by the time information starts getting through to the people it may be too late.
That said however, if Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu turns up dead in the Colombo tomorrow, I would be the first one to celebrate. It's one thing to speak out against the government, but when you start opposing moves by the SF to protect the people, you've way crossed the line. The navy detects a truck packed with explosives in trinco that could literally have killed hundreds and decimated the harbor, which is the lifeline of the troops in Jaffna, and the same day the bastard goes to court to prevent the setting up an HSZ in the area.
My opinion, people like that just don't deserve to live.
I/E, this is not about "blanket censorship" of every Tom, Dick and Harry who utters criticism against the GOSL. I would say, anyway a term such as "blanket censorship" does not apply to a democracy such as SL and only countries run by autocratic dictators or one-party regimes will ever have "blanket censorship."
ReplyDeleteNo, this is about individuals (our "leaders") who have taken an oath to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka in the nation's highest democratic institution (the Parliament) now using that elevated status as a law-maker of the nation to violate that very oath and subvert the nation's national security for cheap political gain, with complete disregard to that such is also helping the LTTE scum. Mate, read my post carefully and you'll understand the message.
Anyway, let's stick to the facts...
The war is going well in SLDF's favor currently, but this rascal has dared to demoralize our troops with the need for "peace talks" (yes, yet another round!) with the LTTE, which we all know is just what the LTTE scum want to re-group and re-arm to hit our boys again.
This rascal said that after the Sampoor victory, GOSL should have stopped the liberation of the rest of the East and gone for "peace talks" with the LTTE scum. Now we know that he is saying this only because he has an axe to grind with the MR GOSL and not because he truly believes it - evidenced by the fact that not long ago when he was with the MR GOSL, he was preaching of the need to "subdue the LTTE militarily" and we know that with the mere Sampoor victory, the LTTE scum did not get "subdued militarily."
OaO Asithri
I/E, I agree with your point re. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu.
ReplyDeleteThis bugger after having got the nation's SC to stop the eviction of suspected LTTE agents in Colombo is now campaigning once again in the SC to enable LTTE's big-guns to be brought into the HSZ of Trinco once again so that those guns can pulverize our Naval Base at an opportune time.
There are many LTTE supporters doing everything possible to look after the LTTE’s interests, but we just need to be vigilant and cut their b**s off in a timely fashion!
LMSSAO!
OaO Asithri
"but during a TIME OF WAR, a country enacts special proviso via “emergency laws” that many constraint an individual’s right"
ReplyDeleteWhile this practice is common, when it infringes upon the constitution it is wrong, and generally the SC is expected to shoot it down in these circumstances.
However, my main point isn't the legality or correctness of that restriction of rights, so much as the danger of it. The reason those rights exist is for our own protection. So that we know that our young men are not being thrown away by incompetence. If we can be tried for asking questions, that then allows the GoSL an unrestricted hand to do as they please. Is that what you want?
"The underlying rationale for “emergency laws” is that a temporary restriction on individuals’ freedom at a TIME OF WAR"
When the war and the emergency regs have been in place more or less unbroken for 25+ years, it's no longer "temporary".
"Many countries, including the major “Western democracies” have enacted such special proviso"
True, but they do not interfere with the major constitutional rights such as speech, freedom of movement, etc. And even in these countries these emergency provisional laws are constantly debated and questioned and often overturned by the courts.
"As such, throwing “constitutional right” as a defense to argue why a dog-tick like Mangala or a feces-worm like Ranil W should not be tried for Treason doesn’t hold water!"
As I told you, you cannot have one law for Mangala & Ranil and another for the rest of us. It has to be a blanket law -- that's the only recognized law in the world -- and such a blanket law will be both unconstitutional and dangerous. While it might work against Mangala, it'll also make sure that if the SecDef is ripping off the country or the Army commander is incompetent (I'm not saying they are, but if they were), no one could expose them because they could be tried as traitors. And in the past we HAVE had corrupt SecDefs and Defence Ministers, and incompetent Army commanders.
About that art exhibition you visited -- if the facts about organising by Ranil it to discredit the forces are right (which I must say I doubt), then it's pretty bad. But honestly, for many civilians living in LTTE-controlled areas (and believe me, I've visited these areas and talked to people during the CFA) the military (and particulary the SLAF) are the bad guys, so I'm not surprised that the kids' drawings reflected that. But this has nothing to do with restricting freedom of speech.
"You have raised a few valid points re. CBK/Ratwatte’s sole in-charge attitude during the Jayasikuru campaign which was a failure of sort "
I'd say it was a fucking disaster since the Tigers retook everything we had captured over months of hard fighting in just a few days.
"However, to take that experience and apply to today’s events is like trying mix oil and water."
Well, you seem happy to take events from SIXTY YEARS ago in Britain and apply it here and now in SL.
" The difference today is that MR GOSL has given the freedom for the SLDF commanders to execute the war, within the broader policy of the GOSL, with due military strategy as they are qualified and see fit to execute, without constant interference from the “politicians” and that has paid off handsome dividends"
Exactly. So then there should be no reason to bring in laws like the Anti-Defamation Act. In the last year there's been lots of criticisms from the UNP and the JVP of GoSL policies but the war went well because the public could see that the GoSL was right. So what's the problem now? Why the sudden urge to shut Mangala and others up? Is it no longer clear that the GoSL is doing well?
"As such, when someone like Managala and Ranil W is into unfounded and unfair criticism of those accomplishments of the SLDF, it is done for no other reason than to spew out malicious false-propaganda for petty political gain,"
True. That's what all politiciaans do. If Mahinda was in the opposition he'd be doing the same. Therefore the answer isn't to shut up the opposition but to counter their accusations and show the public that the Mangala-types are just opportunists.
"but as I said earlier, because such gain to themselves also confers distinct advantages to the LTTE terrorists, such attempts should be met head-on with charge of TREASON! "
Since their primary objective is not to help the Tigers, it can't be treason. If that was doable, then the Rajapakse brothers would have to be tried since the recent eviction of the Tamil Pettah lodgers gaave the LTTE a great propogaanda victory and damaaged the GoSL cause. Sounds like treason to me.
"On the contrary, we are talking about individuals who have taken oaths in the parliament to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Motherland,"
I believe that oath is taken as a minister, and since neither Mangala or Sripathi are ministers anymore, they can't be held to their oaths. But if you think they can be, then why not try them under the existing laws? There's no need for an anti-defamation law which isn't aimed at mangala but at journalists.
"Indeed, the world has changed. However, the brilliant strategy executed by W. Churchill "
The strategy was brilliant for its time when people were limited to a few sources of info. It would never work today, and that'ss why it's never attempted.
"I have never said it is wrong to follow a successful practice of a “foreigner.”"
I'm glad you think so, since I was under the impression you had nothing but scorn for the "white gooks" (your words) amongst whom you live (your claim). But I never accused you of wanting to follow the whites; I suggested you were willing to "blindly follow" (my words).
" I am foreign educated (both under-grad and post-grad) and currently work and live in a foreign land"
Perhaps you should spend more time in SL before you try to tell us what's right or wrong.
"“One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.” - Douglas MacArthur"
Exactly. That is why one mold and use both the press aand propoganda to get the support of the population. To try and stifle the voices of opposition, which can never be done, not even in the most dictatorial countries (look at Burma) -- is to to just show that one has no real grasp of the news media.
And BTW, MacArthur too eventually showed us that he had no real grasp of the larger world he lived an fought in -- during the Korean War he recommended invading China and using tactical nukes across the Yalu -- he was sacked on the spot by the US administration.
"I/E, this is not about "blanket censorship" of every Tom, Dick and Harry who utters criticism against the GOSL"
Really? Have you even read the Ant-Defamation Act. It IS blanket censorship against every Tom, Dick and Harry. If you have a better alternative to restrict speeches by Mangala (and I hope you do), let's hear it.
"This bugger after having got the nation's SC to stop the eviction of suspected LTTE agents in Colombo "
You mean after he stopped the traitors in the GoSL from handing a propoganda victory to the LTTE that would have been on the scale of July '83? We should give him a medal:)
tkx lightning struck!however i remember an exhibition i went to once the army displayed an iranian-built towed MBRL.not sure of the model,tho.dont know what the models of the pakistani-built MBRL's,rite? have we got around 10 of these?
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