Thursday, November 29, 2007

False rumors

It was only yesterday that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rattled Sri Lanka's capital with two bomb blasts that caused heavy civilian casualties. At least 18 civilians have been killed in these attacks and 43 more have been wounded. Following the blasts, a series of false rumors have begun spreading in Colombo.

One such rumor is that several bomb parcels have been found today (29th) in various locations across Colombo. This is entirely false. Police received information regarding an explosive device said to be planted somewhere in Liberty Plaza shopping complex earlier today and bomb disposal squads were deployed to the scene. After a thorough search it was declared that there was no bomb threat and the premises was declared safe for civilian presence.

Another rumor that is rapidly spreading is that a key water pump that distributes water to Colombo has been poisoned by the tigers. This is again false information.

These rumors are known to spread via SMS, phone calls and by word-of-mouth. If you come across such statements please verify their source and authenticity before you pass them onto your friends and family members. Meanwhile be on the lookout for abandoned parcels, vehicles or personnel that may look suspicious. You can report such information to police emergency unit which can be accessed via 118 or 119 phone numbers.

97 comments:

  1. I think all civilians in Sri Lanka has to help each other by being vigilant.
    That will help every one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. well said perein well said!!.Its too late now but what made the security guard open the package instead of evacuating the people and calling the bomb disposal team

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  3. Guys a golden rule that I still remember in handling bombs(suspicious parcels)

    "Move the people away from the bomb - and not the bomb away from the people"

    This was taught to us by a retired army officer back in school during a workshop.

    When you see something suspicious or confirm its a bomb - DON'T go on and meddle it. Let the experts handle it - call the bomb squad/cops. Meanwhile move the people and yourself away from it. This ain't Hollywood !

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  4. I also heard this rumor "poisoned water" is announced by radio.
    Its very difficult to stop these kinds of rumors, since people are panic after yesterday incident.

    ReplyDelete
  5. pass around:It seems there have been several bomb parcels found in Colombo... the army has sealed buildings till 12 o'clock... They are continuing to search... I strongly suggest we avoid Colombo and Congested areas today.... spread the news


    Got such some of messages through chat clients from the morning. Such kind of rumors have been spreading everywhere. It could be done deliberately by some group of fools, to help terrorism and affect morale of people.

    False alerts need to be stopped and responsible people should be punished. So it won't be a part of another cruel political agenda.

    People should be more vigilant and stop spreading nonsense.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mobile comapnies would love to see these SMS s going everywhere

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tamilnet report a bombardment by SLAF. When was this happened??
    It says "Wednesday afternoon from 12.25p.m for twenty minutes"

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  8. The “No Limit” authorities had reported the incident to the Mirihana police immediately, but no police had arrived for over 30 minutes.

    Since the police had not responded, the “No Limit” security personnel had informed a Traffic Police Constable who was near the shop of the suspicious parcel. When the constable and the security guards had tried to examine the parcel it had exploded. (Daily Mirror.lk)


    How vigilant do you want civilians to be if the authorities don't respond ?????

    Is this the first time where vigilant civilians have informed authorities of suspicious persons and items and they fell on deaf ears and only for devastating incident to occur?

    Remember AAB and KAB (ground attack) incidents? Civilians reported to the police of suspicious people and no one took proper action.. the rest is history.

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  9. It is high time to send some white vans around to stop this LTTE bombing menace.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Defencenet,

    Isn't it high time that the police hierachy sent out men in disguise to catch lazy and incompetent policemen, rather than sending silly circulars to the subordinates?

    Even the Chief Justice highlighted their inefficiency recently?

    ReplyDelete
  11. n,what do you mean sending white vans around to stop LTTE bombing? are you advocating the government to carry out abductions/murders @ nite & such?which GOTA & clan already carry out?..get a life,man..

    ReplyDelete
  12. Guys , I posted few messages on defencewire....

    ReplyDelete
  13. SLA has penetrated 100% tamil speaking areas of the island....

    Velu and his maveers are panicked to their core...

    Prospect of these LTTE MAVEERS riding their last journey in a SLA claimore is more affordable to them now than say two years ago...


    GO all the way SLA...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tangara-
    Seen those comments. I think deep units should keep hitting those Vani targets.
    Big pig is scared because he celebrated his very last Birthday.
    I'm sure most of those Pig supporters
    has black flags handy which must be in good condition after TC's.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. well,well,asithri,you do seem to have a very narrow mind & a microscopic brain-are you,by any chance an Algae or maybe a Fungi?-coz arguing with a fellow like yourself is pointless..it's like trying talkin to a dog with rabies!(not babies)

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  17. Guys,

    The Heroes' Day celebrations had been conducted very low key this time; most of the senior leaders chose to participate in pitch darkness, may be somewhere underground.

    Please click here to see my point.

    There seems to be some truth in what Tangara said: the army may have infiltrated clandestinely into Vanni; the absence of senior Tigers in the open is related to that fact.

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  18. renegade:

    white vans--very helpful

    if I have to kill 100 Terrorists to protect one civilian life I would do so...

    just remember it gets real ugly for the bad guys when they are caught.

    LTTE loses intelligence cadre everyday just like we did few days before the whole LTTE plot was wide opened

    the army killed over 30 LTTE terrorists all over vanni yesterday alone.

    we need to up it to at least 300 for a proper payback!

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  19. regarding bombs:

    if you see a suspecious parcel - call the proper authorities (we are used to taking calls)

    Do not hesitate if you cant authenticate the owner of the parcel

    Bomb disposal squad by first calling the police hot lines at 118 or 119.


    we will take care of the rest...make sure the bad guys wont make it back--even their families are at risk!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Guys

    Just ignore the trolls that come here to disrupt the discussions in these forums.

    They will go away when you ignore them. They seek attention thats all, don't give them that.

    ReplyDelete
  21. defencenet/guys,any news on the exact make/model of MBT that we are gonna go for this time?..is the Mig-29 on the menu as well-hope not!!..what do you think of going for a self-propelled howitzer/arti-gun which doesn't have to be towed,like the french CAESAR, u.s PALADIN,or even a few chinese models..not sure what they make-hope someone can shed some light..

    by the way,why haven't we used our advanced BMP-3's for any ops?are these in need of any repair or what?

    can i know how many Mi-24/35 hinds we have lost,so far since they were first inducted,in 1995?-due to enemy action,write-off's etc.,thankx

    ReplyDelete
  22. http://www.sankathi.com/live/content/homeland_full.php?subaction=showfull&id=1196179026&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3,9&

    When does Airforce going to acquire night striking capabilities?

    This is 25 years due!

    ReplyDelete
  23. RomeAlphaFoxtrot,

    Sri Lankan news media should run few headlines with the below valuable quote.

    "Move the people away from the bomb - and not the bomb away from the people"

    and professionally trained staff should be allocated to handle 119 calls.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Who is this? (from noltte's link)

    who is this?

    and the even some of the others, I think the first one is Theepan? (after the vp pics of course).

    Also coming back to this aweful bombing I read somewhere (maybe here) that it took 30 mins for police to respond, and so the store guards and a passing office tried to open the package. Now leaving aside the reponse time I think there must be some investigation as to why so many civilians were still close enough to the bomb to get killed.

    If there was a suspicious package and they had HALF AN HOUR why could they not have cleared the area? This is such a tragedy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. ""Canada strongly condemns the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka and, in particular, the killing of civilians, whether targeted or accidental. Our sincere sympathies are with the families and friends of the victims, irrespective of their ethnicity." -Quote from Canadian Foreign Minister

    Canada is the biggest breeding ground for LTTE terrorism and un-interrupted fund-raising outside Sri Lanka. Why can not Canadian Authorities curb LTTE activities in their soil, without giving just lip service?

    ReplyDelete
  26. "it took 30 mins for police to respond"

    yes it looks as if the police did not react to the complaint quickly. But its too early to blame anyone yet as the investigations are still ongoing.

    ReplyDelete
  27. "yes it looks as if the police did not react to the complaint quickly. But its too early to blame anyone yet as the investigations are still ongoing."

    defencenet what I meant was that even the store guards or the passing officer should have had common sense to clear the area of civilians first, whether police got there in 30 mins or 3 mins.

    If you think there is a bomb the store and surroundings should have been cleared. This would have greatly reduced casualties. Of course maybe this is easier said than done with curious public :(

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  28. Jack, according to media reports Nolimit closed the store once they knew a suspicious parcel was there. No one was allowed to enter afterwards. This act could have saved some lives.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Defencenet, is there a vigilance committe at the mirihana police area where the civilians have to pay for this service? Lankaenews has a story on this. Pls shed some light on this when time permits and also on the progress of the investigations on yesterdays twin bombings. Thanks.

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  30. We should have SWAT teams in every police station present in Colombo and other hight value targets.

    ReplyDelete
  31. "Jack, according to media reports Nolimit closed the store once they knew a suspicious parcel was there."

    Thanks RAF, at least that was something then.

    ReplyDelete
  32. jack.. who's that ltte idiot lighting the lamp mate in that link ?

    It's a shame it took cops took 30mnts get to the parcel site !

    How can they stop this incompetence next ? Also,even if ya handicaped entering a MP office such as the Tulf honcho, boy, dont you still have security ? Since,VP has made it a priority to kill him !

    ReplyDelete
  33. According to TRO-USA 90% of the 70,000 killed in the last 25 years are Tamils.

    http://www.times-news.com/opinion/local_story_333103852.html?keyword=secondarystory

    75% displaced are also Tamils.

    So that means we are winning the war!

    These sort of false reports on news papers should be countered!

    Ares

    ReplyDelete
  34. Ares:

    Related to the TRO-Article posted in that website, please send responses to the following:

    Jan Alderton
    Managing Editor
    301.784.2518
    jpalderton@times-news.com


    Just tell the truth and keep is clear and concise.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  35. Jack,
    According to "Divaina" The bomb has exploded just after five minutes it was noticed.

    ReplyDelete
  36. A news article
    -The Island

    "Defence Ministry-CB in ambitious housing project for forces personnel
    by Harischandra Gunaratna

    The Ministry of Defence and the Central Bank have embarked on an ambitious project titled "Api Wenuwen Api," (Be Together For All) to build 50,000 houses and apartments for the armed forces personnel at a remarkably low price phased over a period of five years. Ten thousands houses will be built per year.

    The target collection for the project is approximately Rs 15 billion. The government will contribute 60% while the balance is expected from the private sector and public donations, Willie Gamage, Additional Secretary, Defence Ministry said.

    Addressing a news conference yesterday he said what was unique about it was that a housing unit will cost the government around Rs 2.4 million, but a recipient will pay only about Rs one million, on an easy repayment loan scheme.

    Due to the ongoing conflict, no one has suffered more than the young men and women fighting to save the sovereignty of the motherland risking their own lives , to ensure their fellow citizens enjoy a peaceful and a secure life he explained. "All of us have a bounded duty to recognise their services and help them."

    "The blocks of land for the houses 10- 15 perches each will be provided by the state free of charge and the houses designed to enhance the living standards of service personnel will be built with all modern facilities.

    Asked about the response from the private sector Gamage said a group of entrepreneurs had already visited one of the sites. "We have already received contributions to the tune of Rs 110 million from the private sector while a total of Rs 200 million has been collected.".

    "The contributions received will be used to pay the bank interest on all housing loans obtained by the recipients of the 50,000 houses." Gamage added.

    The housing projects will have schools, shopping complexes, gymnasiums and other facilities.

    Already 1620 housing units are being constructed in Ipologama and are expected to be completed in six months while the stage two is expected to commence in Horowpotana.

    Cash and cheque donations to the housing fund could be contributed to A/C no. 7040000 at all Bank of Ceylon branches. Donations can also be made via Dialog SMS by typing ‘API’ and sending it to 8877 where each SMS will add Rs 100 to the fund."

    ReplyDelete
  37. Editorial
    -The Island.

    "A coward’s sillera terror

    On Tuesday, Prabhakaran in his heroes’ day speech asked why the world community including the members who had fought for their freedom was not supportive of his struggle. On Wednesday, he himself answered that question. He shamelessly made a disposable sacrifice of a polio victim by making her don an explosive laden bra in an abortive bid to assassinate his bête noire Minister Douglas Devananda and used a parcel bomb at Nugegoda to kill nearly 20 people including a schoolgirl.

    What has gone wrong with the LTTE, which accomplished a number of military feats such as the capture of the Elephant Pass Base housing a division plus equipped with big guns seven years ago? Once it claimed to have established a de facto state. But, today, it has had to resort to sillera (retail) terror to make its presence felt. Placing a parcel bomb in a crowded clothes store is something that any eunuch can do with ease. Brainwashing an orphan or a disabled person into committing suicide is no big deal. Perhaps, the only military achievement the LTTE could boast of is the recent raid on the Anuradhapura airbase. But, its success was more due to the serious security lapse on the part of the Air Force than the ability of the attackers. On the other hand, even Prabhakaran’s baby brigade could have accomplished that mission! However, the price the outfit has had to pay for that attack has been quite high.

    The wheel of LTTE terror has manifestly come a full circle after twenty five years. It stands banned in many countries and its leader is trapped in his underground bunker. He has lost both Jaffna and the Eastern Province. Almost all his arms smuggling ships have perished at the hands of the Navy and he is left with no way of replenishing his lethal stocks. He may preen himself on the purchase of some light aircraft for his son’s unit. If he were the CEO of a private company, he would be sacked for his recklessness and inefficiency and the attendant failure.

    What Prabhakaran needs most at this juncture is a turbo boost for his macabre project which has run out of steam. He is desperate for a backlash in the South to regain the sympathy of the international community. Hence, his reversion to sillera terror attacks. Remember, in his heroes’ day speech, he repeated the term, the ‘genocidal state’, several times. He is obviously striving to push the country to such a situation. The public must be educated on his sinister plan and precautionary measures adopted. A coward trapped in an underground bunker, dying many times before his death and driving his loyal cadres to suicide in vain, is capable of any crime.

    However, the biggest obstacle on Prabhakaran’s path is not the military might of the State but the resilience of the people. His biggest mistake, as we have pointed out in these columns previously, is that he has unwittingly taught the people the art of living with terror by unleashing a countless number of terror attacks on civilian targets. A dog in a smithy, it is said, doesn’t care two hoots about thunderbolts. How many of us can remember the year of the Central Bank attack or the Pettah blast? No amount of terrorism will be sufficient to make the people give in to him. By targeting civilians, he only destroys innocent lives, wastes his explosives and incurs the opprobrium of the civilized world.

    Prabhakaran ought to realize that he has bitten off more than he can chew. He is too small a hero in too tiny an island to aspire to solve the problems of 80 million stateless people scattered all over the globe. If it is a feasible solution that he seeks, he must concentrate on the problems faced by the Sri Lankan Tamils without using their grievances as an excuse for disporting himself in bloodletting.

    He must stop being a daydreamer, eschew violence and come for talks. Better late than never! That is what the civilized world has been urging him to do all these years. It is a pity that he hasn’t heeded that call and continues to gratify his cannibalistic desires."

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  38. Terrorists targeted our Children
    -Defence.lk

    click here.

    ReplyDelete
  39. "jack.. who's that ltte idiot lighting the lamp mate in that link ? "

    Rajarata haha that was my original question, I don't know either :) Link was from noltte.

    "According to "Divaina" The bomb has exploded just after five minutes it was noticed."

    Ok that's a bit different then, I think I had seen this on defencewire, someone's post, that stated they had waited 30 mins and since the cops hadn't arrived yet the policeman who was walking by tried to open the package and it went off.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Romealphafoxtrot, yes there is such a service. Its mainly funded by businessmen in town. Its a police mobile unit which constantly patrol the town in vans. Service is called 'the security eye'. You can report crimes directly to this unit(for example, the one in maharagama can be reached via 0115666688). They are also linked to 119.
    Jack, agreed.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Please dont tel anything to POLICE (idiots).
    Best way is calling 118 or 119

    One person i known, had a nice experience when he informed about something suspicious in next door to the nearest police station.

    After this experience everyone decided Not to believe these bloody policemen, and to call 118 or 119 or SL Navy.

    Even in last bomb blast we must blame to the Police.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I appreciate the courage of that police officer trying to defuse a live bomb. But I don’t agree that it was the best thing .I also so in news papers that he tried to cut the wires of the bomb. I think trying to handle the bomb carelessly caused this explosion.
    The wise thing to do is evacuate the people. Lets hope our police officers will do it next time and not let a similar tragedy happen. Also I convey my condolence to the relatives and friends of the victims.

    Hey you bloody praba. You will feel the same if some one kills your son or daughter. You deserve more than that you butcher

    ReplyDelete
  43. "According to TRO-USA 90% of the 70,000 killed in the last 25 years are Tamils. 75% displaced are also Tamils. So that means we are winning the war!"

    Wow! And there I was thinking the war was against the LTTE, and not the Tamils. Silly me.

    Hemantha, I'd take the Island with a pinch of salt. That's the editor who suggested alll civil and constitutional rights be suspended until the war is won.

    All other media reports quote a 30 minute delay on the part of the Mirihana police, and knowing what traffic is like around Nugegoda during rush hour, that's about how long it would take 'em to get there. It probably took 5 mins for the traffic cop to come over and meddle with the bomb.

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  44. The link was from Sankanthi.com

    http://tinyurl.com/32cqfr

    All of them are soon to be Mahaveer..

    But significantly, the Poddu is missing.

    Do not know whether he he has decided to join the Government as he was with Ramesh few months back.

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  45. So much for the bloody yakking here about “LRRP taking out school children” in Wanni and some even saying that the Nugegoda bombing was a retaliation! These are really RW=LTTE bitches out to unfairly discredit MR GOSL so patriots, best be on your guard.

    Here’s a premature ejaculation for these RW=LTTE bitches:

    [Kilinochchi claymore attack a fabrication-Careful prelude to Nugegoda blast -TULF leader

    "The reported news item that 11 persons including 9 students had been killed in a claymore mine attack by the forces that penetrated deeply into the LTTE held area is a real fabrication. Reading this in the Tamil newspaper this morning I felt that this news is a prelude to some serious incident to take place in the course of the day and as expected this tragic incident had taken place at Nugegoda," says prominent Tamil leader and President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) V. Anandasangaree in a press release on recent developments. ]

    Wow! Wow indeed!

    Hey Perein:

    Just ignore the bloody well-frog hicks who have this thing of uncontrollable jealousy against us SL patriots, especially against Sinhelas, who live abroad and some of us living lives that make these bloody hicks go green-with-envy! LMSSAO!

    Naturally, given that most Sinhela expats are, and have been, strongly anti-RW (look at all the Sinhala Sangamayas or similar organizations all over the western capitals and you don’t see any that toe the line for RW or his LTTE appeasing platform) these RW=LTTE gooks in Sri Lanka have this axe to grind with us! Aha, yes, they stick together like in a bloody cult and bad mouth us because they know we are lobbying against RW pansy’s agenda to handover 40% of the nation (and 60% of the coastal line) to the filthy LTTE mfs. Most of them are highly corrupt in whatever business dealings they are into (I too have some relatives I am a afraid who are like that, so that’s how I know about these buggers so well!) and they are just waiting for the day for RW pansy to comeback and open the flood gates, once again, to the “casino culture” that will enable them to fill their pockets with glee (without giving a flying fcuk about the country or its sovereignty of course!). No, we, living abroad, are independent of these selfish, corrupt motives and that’s something these buggers cannot come to terms with. They cannot fathom that someone can put the country’s interests before any interests to do with filling one’s pockets through the benevolence of someone like RW pansy! You only have to see the number of safe-houses LTTE mfs have been successful in establishing in Colombo to know that there are many, many RW=LTTE supporting bitches out in Colombo making stacks of money (from LTTE front organizations) while telling us expat patriots that “we are not in touch with ground realties!” LMSSAO!!!

    I, for one, go to SL every year (some years, more than once) and I too have met umpteenth number of patriotic, likeminded, Sri Lankans, some ordinary folks and some from the SLDF, and they too have spoken to me about all the good work we patriots have done in the western capitals that they themselves cannot do from SL. They are fully aware of all the lobbying we have done, despite being lower in numbers compared to the LTTE lobby in these capitals. No, not one has ever said to me any disparaging remark about contributions from patriotic Sri Lankans to either this blog or to other sites like Asiantribune, Lankaweb, etc. etc. Most have complained only about not having enough time (and high speed internet access) themselves to join in and contribute like how we do. So, anyone who says otherwise has to have rubbed shoulders with RW=LTTE bitches as the saying goes, birds of feather, thick together! If so, all what we can say is – who the bloody hell gives a flying fcuk for your cess-pit opinion froggy! As for us, we love this DefenceNet!

    LMSSAO!!!

    OaO Asithri

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  46. Asithri,

    You man eat and breath fire :-)

    I know it is blood boiling true..

    Look after your health too..

    Take things easy..

    BTW, Ananda Sangaree going to be LTTE's next target. A man with wisdom!

    Prabakaran does not like people with wisdom in his dreamland.. He wants anyone who criticizes his dreamland dead!

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  47. I'm glad to see that everyone is now kissing Anandasangaree's butt (used to be Karuna).

    Asithri's comments are exactly what I was talking about -- foreigners trying to cover up their physical, mental, and sexual deficiencies by being online wanna-be's.

    Little do you realise that you're helping the Tiger cause by confirming the fact that the Sinhalese are rabid retards. Hmm I think we'll have to refer to you as Asithri=LTTE from now on. Maybe they actually pay you something for it. I can't actually imagine that you would be helping their propoganda for free.

    DefNet is there any confirmation on whether the claymore atttack happened or not? The media reported it, but Anandasangaree is denying it. Which is it?

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  48. David,
    “Hemantha, I'd take the Island with a pinch of salt. That's the editor who suggested alll civil and constitutional rights be suspended until the war is won.”

    I have been following Prabath Sabandu’s writings for many years. But I haven’t seen any such comments by him. You must have mistaken him with somebody else. His way of thinking is completely opposite. Please read the second paragraph of the following Tamilweek article (written by K. S. Sivakumaran).
    click here.

    Noltte and Tropical,

    Great analysis in the defencewire. Please continue the good work.

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  49. Asithri-
    Best opetion is to ignore the pensioner, who thinks she's knows all.
    What an expert... One solution for all. Keep dragging the topic off wrong direction. inc. talking about where she's been on holiday etc.
    Let's concentrate what we discuss.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Bomb threat at Fort and Thalawatugoda
    -Daily Mirror

    Two separate bomb threats were reported from Fort and Thalawatugoda a few minutes ago. Police say the government treasury building in Fort was sealed after an "unidentified' person entered the premises while in Thalawatugoda the bomb squad was investigating a suspicious briefcase.

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  51. David Blacker,

    I would like to know your personal opinion regarding the present strength of LTTE when compare with before MR.

    I would say 35% of their strength has been destroy so far and in this 35%, 80% done by SLAF.

    I think most difficult stage is 35% to 70% destruction and that is where we are now.

    last 30% is attacking the fleeing tigers.

    ???

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  52. Both bomb threats false alarms

    Both bomb threats reported earlier turned out false. The suspicious parcel in Thalawathugoda was merely a clothes bag of a beggar confirmed police sources few minutes ago while the Govt. Treasury was declared clear of explosives.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I really dont care if the entire sinhala expatriate community are flashers.I am happy that they are where they are and doing the best they can for the country under different circumstances.After all your own children and family come first.If you dont help them who will?.However there is a section of people in Colombo (these idiots who go for lunches at the hilton) who can do much more instead of subjecting the govt to ridicule.I guess they are waiting for LTTE suicide bombers to take a personal interest in their families. Afterall the LTTE is in the north and will never come to colombo right?.
    B1-
    The LTTE has a vast number of potential cadres so what they have lost is insignificant.Anyone can be forced to be a cadre..(under threat of death of course)..you can give an 80 yr old grandmother a machine gun cant you?.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I forgot to add that i am refering to this what is it called "makkal pade?"...

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  55. http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/11/30/news03.asp-Timeline of nugegoda bomb.....

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  56. Hemantha, 35%-40% losses over the past two years is probably correct (if you count the TMVP defection too), but it's unclear (at least to us civilians) what quality of LTTE troops were lost. Also, I'm not sure I would agree that 80% of those casualties were inflicted by the SLAF. Maybe 40%-50% and the rest divided amongst Army & Navy.

    Remember that percentages don't tell the full story. For instance, elite Tiger units like the Imran Pandiyan and Charles Anthony haven't been committed to battle yet, and have suffered few casualties in the last year. During the Falklands War, most of the Argentinian ground casualties were poor quality conscripts, but most of the casualties suffered by the Brit ground troops were inflicted by Argentine regular soldiers, marines, and elite special forces.

    So we musn't be complacent.

    Perein, are you having a sexual ID crisis as welll as your other troubles? Ha ha. Asithri could probably help you out there.

    ReplyDelete
  57. opppss sorry. David B is not a woman either :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. Hey come on aguys,

    we don't need silly arguments among you patriots here

    ReplyDelete
  59. I think we should put the offensive war effort on the back burner for a while. Its taking a toll on the economy. Right now we need to concentrate on improving the shape of our economy and rebuilding the east.

    The only area we must remain on the offensive is in the seas. We need guard our coastal seas intensly and hunt and sink more LTTE cargo ships in the deep seas. For this we need more OPVs.

    Let the LTTE remain in 8% of the island they control now. We will come back for that later.

    The government needs to improve the shape of our economy or MR could lose the next election. We all know who will come to power if MR loses right?

    Many people say that now is a good time to finish off the LTTE, but they forget that we are still a third world country. If we had the money, we could start the Wanni campaign in a few weeks. But the truth is, right now we don't have the money or the economic resilience to carry out a possible pro-longed bloddy war in Wanni.

    I too wish we could finish off the LTTE by launching the final campaign in Wanni tomorrow, but lets be realistic. We don't have the economic power of USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan etc.

    Thats why improving the shape and growth of the economy is so important.

    ReplyDelete
  60. well said,david blacker!! keep it up..

    ReplyDelete
  61. Not sure I agree with you, GE. If we let the momentum slow now, the IC may not give us the change to get it back on. Right now the LTTE is on the back fooot and we should keep them there, at least mentally, if not in actuality. Even if we're not planning offensives, we should make them think we are, and for this we need to regularly probe their ground defenses, while we use the SLAF and LRRPs to get high value targets. Maybe that IS the GoSL plan.

    ReplyDelete
  62. david

    You think we our economy can bear a pro-longed bloody offensive into heavily protected Wanni at this juncture? I don't think so, at least not in the next year or so.

    With the eastern territories under our control, we have stretched our troops to the max(or close to it). If we continue to spread our troops even further, then the LTTE will carry out attacks on those thinly manned areas. This will cause us casaulties and could get ugly. To avoid this scenario, we need to increase the size of the army to get more boots on the ground to patrol the areas efficiently. Our defence budget is already so big, we can't afford to spend a penny more on defence than we already do now.

    I agree, we have to keep the LTTE on the backfoot one way or another. But the outcome of the game will be decided in the seas. Unlike in the past, we must really gain full control of the seas around Lanka, or the LTTE controlled Wanni will never be isolated from the outside world. We just need to buy the right military hardware to accomplish this. A weapons starved LTTE will be less eager to provoke us or fight us head on.

    ReplyDelete
  63. DavidB,

    I was merely commenting on the article. I was doing a project when I took a break to read the news and came across that article. I didn't get a chance to review my post before posting.

    Anyways, I didn't impliy that the war is against the Tamils. Though that is what it sounded like. It was more of a sarcastic comment that didn't sound right!

    If you review all my post here, I one of the people here that insist on a political package before waging a war. I believe that we (not Sinhalese now don't get me wrong, the government) should give the ordinary Tamil especially the ones living in conflict areas an alternative to a gun and LTTE.

    my apologies!

    Ares

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  64. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  65. GE..i agree with David..on this issue.The other factors are...Dont we need to force the LTTE into some kind of compromise (such as decimation) before next american election.We also need to act when IC opinion is lets put it this way..less on the side of the LTTE..Also keeping them busy is important so that their attention is diverted from the east.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I forgot to add that time is not on our side..because we have to reduce cost of living..because people just cant take this for very much longer...

    ReplyDelete
  67. Has anyone seen the video of the suicide bombing of Devananda's office from defence.lk? It actually shows the woman exploding herself inside the office.

    http://www.defence.lk/videos/20071130_EPDP.wmv

    That's got to be of of the most disturbing video's I've seen.

    ReplyDelete
  68. 47 mintues back I had a project due which I still didn't complete. I took another break, well that is what I do when I get stuck.

    Anyways, I was on google maps and I found out that satellite images of Kilinochi is blocked.

    Interesting...

    Illegal.existence - Maybe it was ksk4... lol

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  69. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  70. Illegal.existence or should I call you 'hava' lol

    we should show this video to Danda and ask him to compare this video and that other video you guys watched in my basement the other day... you know what I'm talking about... wait for it .... nope not two girls one cup but that video from uselessjunk.com where that dude hammers a nail through his dick... lol

    I though that was bad!

    Ares

    ReplyDelete
  71. illegal.existance,

    "The Sri Lankan government said Friday that it was not contemplating action to ban the Tamil Tigers despite the rebels being blamed for two separate bomb attacks in the capital Colombo. Keheliya Rambukwella, the minister of Foreign Employment and the government's defense spokesman, told reporters that "we are not contemplating a ban and we want to keep doors open for peace." "

    You were correct. Congrats.

    ReplyDelete
  72. and the Vavunya airbase isn't block!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Temple trees, cmb harbor, cmb Int Airport, BOC tower and WTC towers... non of these are blocked, but Kilinochi is blocked!

    seriously we got to do something!

    ReplyDelete
  74. Srilankan

    Why exactly do we need to race against time before the next US election? Please don't tell me you buy into that Hillary Clinton horror stories. I have throughly explained(don't want to go into specifics now) to many stubborn posters on this blog that even if Hillary becomes president she can't do as she pleases. Especially issues concerning terrorists and terrorism . None of these stubborn posters have been able to argue with me on their points concerning Hillary. NONE.

    I agree that we have to keep the LTTE on the backfoot. But I also doubt the world opinion on terrorist organizations will change anytime soon. This post 9/11 climate has been like kryptonite to the LTTE.

    The LTTE did not do itself any favor by killing civilians two days ago. These kinds of acts only makes it harder for LTTE supporters to convice foreign politicans to be kind to the LTTE.

    ReplyDelete
  75. http://lankapage.wordpress.com/2007/07/06/pro-tiger-website-nidarshanamcom-has-targeted-ambassador-dayan-jayatilleka/

    ReplyDelete
  76. Retired soldiers invited to rejoin army
    By Sunil Jayasiri
    -Daily Mirror

    The Army yesterday invited the soldiers who legally resigned from the Army on completion of their 12-year service to re-join, while more than 4000 deserters re-joined the Army during the recently concluded amnesty period recording the highest number of soldiers who reporting back in one instance.


    Military Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said that soldiers who legally resigned from the Army on completion of the 12-year service had been invited to re-join the service on or before December 7, this year.


    He also said that the retired soldiers who re-joined would be deployed in Colombo and its suburb in order to strengthen the security in the City. “We are not planning to send those re-joining retired soldiers to the operational areas. They would be deployed in Colombo and its suburbs,” he said.


    Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said that a total of 4394 re-joined the army during the latest round of enlistment of deserters to the Army under a general amnesty granted from November 12 to 25.


    “This number of soldiers re-joined with the service creating a new record in the Army’s history,” he said. Earlier, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that more than 20,000 soldiers joined the Sri Lanka Army during this year, recording the recruitment of highest number of soldiers to the force in such a short period .

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  77. GEagle..i understand what you are saying but in our precarious situation you cannot predict the outcome future events will bring.GE as you well know everyone has a price and for these western politicians in some countries SLanka is insignificant.i am also speaking about several assassination events on the Hon Pres and army brass etc. You are right when you say that we should not give the LTTE a breathing space.

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  78. DefenceNet,

    Tamilnet says about a bombing raid in Pooneryn area by the SLAF twice on Friday afternoon; it also says that the LTTE has not released any details about the attack.

    Can you inform us a bit more about it please,if possible ?

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  79. Srilankan

    I understand the situation with the western politicians. We need to also counter the LTTE influence abroad with our own money. But remember despite all the LTTE's money, the LTTE won't be able to escape the terrorist label until they give up terrorism for good.

    All I am saying is that thrusting into Wanni right now(as many here suggest) is not a wise move. Lets keep Wanni under pressure by isolating it from the outside world, DPU attacks, strong SLN patrolling of the seas, SLAF attacks and targetting of VP. We will conquer Wanni, but now is not the time.

    Meantime we must whip our economy into a better shape. A growing economy that is in good shape will mean more revenue for the government. Thats is the source of our strength.

    ReplyDelete
  80. GE i pray yr assessment about these western politicians is correct.As you say the best way is to have these guys kill each other and not go into wanni.We need to build up our base in these foreign countries by helping members and friends of our own families to migrate.

    ReplyDelete
  81. srilankan

    To really put pressure on Wanni, we must gain full control of the seas. More this we need a few more OPVs. In the past we never really gave an effort to control the seas and as a result the LTTE was able to survive this long. Now finally we seem to be on the right path when it comes to attaining full control of the seas. We are blessed to be an island. Just imagine the unstoppable weapons flow if we were connected by land to India.

    The LTTE have their best fighters in Wanni, ready to fight to the death if we come. No doubt it will be a pro-longed and bloody campaign, very different from what happened in the East. And thats exactly it, we can't afford to have a costly pro-longed military campaign, it will severly affect our already creaking economy.

    Besides as the casaulties of such a campaign piles up, the UNP will start saying "See, we told you the war is unwinnable, and we still have high COL" to get the votes in the next election.

    We can be ready for Wanni after about a couple of years of solid economic growth. This will also help bring down the COL, and that factor could be crucial in the next election.

    ReplyDelete
  82. A news article
    -The Island

    "Sri Lanka’s construction industry has hit it big with contracts, valued at US $ 01 billion, to build houses and villas in Doha, Qatar and Dubai. The State Engineering Corporation has been given the first contract where it will build 320 luxury villas at a cost of US $ 80 million in Doha"

    ReplyDelete
  83. Today I spoke to an eye witness of the Nugedoda bomb blast.

    According to her, as soon as the bomb exploded, there were about 6 - 10 rogue looking guys flocked and quickly snatched the chains on the neck's of the victims, collected the wallets from the handbags and ran away.

    She is still severely shocked shocked by seeing the destruction, the blood, and dead.

    Her most vivid memory is that the vultures who suddenly appeared from nowhere and ransacking the victims without any respect or human qualities whatsoever.

    This is the sorry state of morally drained people in our society. They could either be Sinhalese, Muslims or Tamils.. but severely morally drained people. Not to mention that Nugegoda is also a paradise for underworld pick-pocketers.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Another news item.
    -Daily mirror

    "During bilateral discussions President Rajapaksa was able to obtain grants and soft loans for a number of development projects most advantageous to Sri Lanka. Among them were the US$ 450 million soft loan and the US$ million 750 million at zero interest for the refurbishment of the Sapugaskanda oil refinery, he said.


    The Iranian government has also pledged to provide us credit facilities to buy oil, sufficient for four months while also granting US$ 150 million towards a housing project, Mr. Chandrapala added."

    ReplyDelete
  85. State Engineering Corporation is one of the biggest corrupted institutions few years back.

    It took them about 9 years to build a small bridge in Kosgoda area. They made it their treasure trove of overtime. This is only a simple example compared to many other horror stories of how State Engineering Corporation wasted public money.

    I am wondering how that kind of inefficient institute would execute such mega project, unless they have completely transformed during the last 3 -4 years.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Noltte,
    I don't have any knowledge about the current situation in State Engineering Corporation. But winning the contract means something. Isn't so?

    ReplyDelete
  87. the war, now or never (more we stay put internal community puts pressure and we will have to renegade to a solution that will create even more destruction.

    we cant lose momentum, ltte on the defense losing manpower left and right

    OPV yes navy needs 6-9 to cover 360 degrees of sea the cost of operating them will certainly pay off considering the protection they give us

    Army needs more goodies
    navy needs special landing troops to do a marines like assualt on Mulativu...get that dog of a city down and we check mate them


    LTTE FDL long range weapons should be taken out --todays poonaryan action was excellent

    Small group incursion to vanni and terrorizing is also an excellent option

    we must give the enemy and the supporting civilian troops think twice before comiting terror.

    so far my count on vanni LTTE dead 4 days = 120-140 dead + 160 injuries

    How about some boat yards of LTTE (locate the ship bunkers and take them out)
    navy should draw out LTTE boats and destroy them (there is no defensive patrolling)

    --one more everything this numb nut piece of dog shit country called Norway has done for peace has ended in failure eg.. (Israel-palastine, Nepal, Ethiopia-Eritrea--20K post peace)

    Norway is one ass wipe country if not for the oil these arctic tribal country would have been beggars---remember they did the same to swedan by launching terror attacks in 1910 when these bastards knew they had oil in sea.

    now they bring this same BS to the rest of the world. norway is one pathetic sight when it comes to peace mongering---more like bend in half and turn around and say PEACE..type...what they forgot is;;; they supported the Nazis build Gas chambers, guard camps that killed millions of Jews.


    Norway does not understand that peace is earned by WAR!
    go around the world and see any nation that had peace w/o WAR--they were eliminated!

    native indians of eastern US (the ones who survived are those who fought), countless tribes in France, Celtic people of UK, the Vaddah tribes of SL, Aborigins of Australia...may I need more?

    what is US waging an aggressive war against Al QUida---the massage is very intoxicating---a pure world muslim paradise---at the cost of infidels.

    we are here to protect our way of life, our cultures, and our people either tamil or others...


    fight --- against terror --- you have a chance --- or a slow death!

    ReplyDelete
  88. Hemantha,

    Winning of the project is a great thing..

    Teaching our corrupted government bigwigs some sense is another.

    ReplyDelete
  89. MCNS, MOD, SLArmy, Defencenet or defencewire
    hasn't update any News about the latest bombing of SLAF,
    But pro-LTTE websites report.

    What is the reason????

    ReplyDelete
  90. I don't know how true this is, someone with knowledge claims , at the time of bombing TC was using a Satellite phone, which gave away his actual GPS coordinates. This person is an American with links to one of their forces..(perhaps NAVY)


    Can anyone shed some light on this?

    If only possible... Otherwise forget it.

    ReplyDelete
  91. "You think we our economy can bear a pro-longed bloody offensive into heavily protected Wanni at this juncture?"

    Well, GE, neither can the economy support a continuation of the slow bleed that we've seen for the last 25+ years. If we want to militarily defeat the LTTE then we need to break their back now while they're on the defensive. If that is done, mopping-up ops (even if they go on for years) will not be so costly. Now I'm not necessarily advocating an immediate offensive (I think you assumed I was), but a constant pressure that will prevent the LTTE from regrouping. Right now, the LTTE is desperate for manpower, while the GoSL isn't; and we should capitalise on that.

    Now I'm not saying we shouldn't improve our naval capability; we should of course, but not at the cost of air and ground ops. In the end (as Patton famously said) you can't win a war with bombers and battleships, and though that isn't always so, in our case, land area must be captured and secured eventually.

    Also, the next administration may not be willing to look at a military solution, and the present one should therefore try to achieve as many military objectives as it can while in power. Much the same as the Bush admin is doing.

    Ares, no worries.

    "" am wondering how that kind of inefficient institute would execute such mega project, unless they have completely transformed during the last 3 -4 years.""

    Lol, if at all it's got worse, as has the RDA. There is absolutely no coordination between road repairs and other engineering projects. Many roads are just horrendous compared to a few years ago. They're constantly dug up and badly recovered. Or just stones are piled into the potholes. Many Colombo roads are impossible to drive on in anything but an SUV. The highways outside the city however have improved.

    "Meantime we must whip our economy into a better shape."

    GE, I think it'll take more than a whipping. Probably needs a thourogh lashing like they do in Saudi! Almost every area of authority seems to be screwed up. The Ministry of Education is now suggesting the removal of all primary classes from schools!

    "navy needs special landing troops to do a marines like assualt on Mulativu.."

    Ogre, the SLN already has several battalions of naval infantry aand the SBS.

    ReplyDelete
  92. David

    "If we want to militarily defeat the LTTE then we need to break their back now while they're on the defensive. If that is done, mopping-up ops (even if they go on for years) will not be so costly. Now I'm not necessarily advocating an immediate offensive (I think you assumed I was), but a constant pressure that will prevent the LTTE from regrouping."

    How can we break their back without going into Wanni? Keeping pressure on the FDLs, LRRP attacks and SLAF bombings like u suggested earlier will take a toll no doubt, but this won't be enough to break their back.
    -----------------------------------
    "Now I'm not saying we shouldn't improve our naval capability; we should of course, but not at the cost of air and ground ops. In the end (as Patton famously said) you can't win a war with bombers and battleships, and though that isn't always so, in our case, land area must be captured and secured eventually."

    Our naval capability has been lagging behind compared to our Land and Air forces. We are an Island, and we are blessed to be one. Smuggling something into an island is much much harder than smuggling somthing into a country with land borders. The LTTE gets about 90% of their supplies needed to carry out this war through the seas, thats why we must secure it. The CBK administration never really paid proper attention to the naval aspect of this war, they wanted to crush the tigers on land with huge army formations, and as a result the tigers were able to become more sophisticated and powerful.
    -----------------------------------
    "Also, the next administration may not be willing to look at a military solution, and the present one should therefore try to achieve as many military objectives as it can while in power. Much the same as the Bush admin is doing."

    The next administration can only come into power if the people are fed up with the current one. The COL factor is harming the MR adminstration and if it continues the people could vote for the UNP the next time. Thats why we must concentrate on our economy momentarily, to relieve this pressure.
    -----------------------------------
    "GE, I think it'll take more than a whipping. Probably needs a thourogh lashing like they do in Saudi!"

    I agree with the lashing, but I hate the Saudis. They are the biggest hate mongerers in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  93. "How can we break their back without going into Wanni? Keeping pressure on the FDLs, LRRP attacks and SLAF bombings like u suggested earlier will take a toll no doubt, but this won't be enough to break their back. "

    If such pressure is combined with a naval blockade, an international campaign that targets their fincial aparatus, a hearts&minds effort that saps their local powerbase, it just might. The casualties inflicted by constand battlefield probing, SLAF and LRRP raids will eventually be prohibitive, especially if the Tiger brass has to be constaantly ready to counter the expected Big Offensive. To that, add the occasional assasssination of a Tiger VIP, and you'll see an implosion.

    "Our naval capability has been lagging behind compared to our Land and Air forces."

    As I said, I'm not saying we shouldn't improve our Navy. We should. But that doesn't mean other areas should in turn be neglected. The MoD needs to maintain a constant pressure across the spectrum of the conflict. Frankly, we have rarely been able to do that, but we should try.

    " Thats why we must concentrate on our economy momentarily, to relieve this pressure."

    Unfortunately, the GoSL cannot afford to focus solely on the economy either. It must concentrate on everything. The economy is part of the spectrum of the conflict. Right now, civil governance has been virtually abandoned in favour of military action, and corruption is at an all time high, while utilities, infrastructure, law & order are at an all time low. This will result in the MR administration losing the next general election or even having a budget overturned (and a resultant disolvement of parliament). It's time for the SLFP-alliance to now prove its maturity by juggling with all the ballls and not just keep some in its pocket.

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  94. "If such pressure is combined with a naval blockade, an international campaign that targets their fincial aparatus, a hearts&minds effort that saps their local powerbase, it just might. The casualties inflicted by constand battlefield probing, SLAF and LRRP raids will eventually be prohibitive, especially if the Tiger brass has to be constaantly ready to counter the expected Big Offensive. To that, add the occasional assasssination of a Tiger VIP, and you'll see an implosion."

    These are exactly the measures I have been advocating for months now instead of a military thrust in Wanni. Though its really hard to say if these measures are enough to create an implosion within the LTTE, but they will definately make life a living hell for the Wanni cadres. There is only one act other than the military physically going into Wanni that can definately break the back of the LTTE, and that is taking out VP.
    -----------------------------------" As I said, I'm not saying we shouldn't improve our Navy. We should. But that doesn't mean other areas should in turn be neglected."

    I am not saying that other areas should be negelected, just that our sea power has some catching up to do.
    -----------------------------------
    "Unfortunately, the GoSL cannot afford to focus solely on the economy either. It must concentrate on everything. The economy is part of the spectrum of the conflict. Right now, civil governance has been virtually abandoned in favour of military action, and corruption is at an all time high, while utilities, infrastructure, law & order are at an all time low. This will result in the MR administration losing the next general election or even having a budget overturned (and a resultant disolvement of parliament). It's time for the SLFP-alliance to now prove its maturity by juggling with all the ballls and not just keep some in its pocket."

    Oh no no, I am not saying that we should concentrate solely on the economy. I am saying that we must make the economy our most important issue, for the time being. I mean we can afford to have budgets and expenditures that increase by 10-20% with each passing year. We must become more fiscally conservative for our own good.

    ReplyDelete

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