SA,  Mon Mar 26 11:36:42 EDT 2007

    Colombo - Sri Lanka launched two investigations into security lapses that led to the first ever Tamil Tiger air raid against the island's main military base, where three airmen were killed, officials said on Monday.
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- The Academic

The biggest lapse in the airforce is the way people get promoted. If you speak good english, if you come from those so called good schools, and if you wear sun glasses, you have a high chance of getting promoted. None of these is required for you to be able to wake up late night when your backyard is bombed, to be able to listen to a call from a policeman, or chase after the enemy before his slow coach gets back to their base. Maybe the commanded needed some time to wear some lips sticks to get out of his air conditioned room. This is the fundamental difference they have with the Special Forces or STF.

The president should ask all airforce officers to write a one page summary of what he/she would have done as the commander if they faced the same situation, look at the individual attitudes, and select a new commander, and maybe fill the other ranks. Buying expensive bombs and dropping them indiscrimately is something any well brought up profound genius can do.

Until yeasterday, Rajapaksha brothers were in the top gear, geting their enemies arrested, closing down bank accounts thus shuting down buisnesses and making all alegations about their subversive activities. BUt even after 24 hours of the so called Air Tiger attck, no RAja to be found to answer the country!!!! Long live SL and the profound genius(and ofcourse power mad JVPers) who put RAJAS TO POWER!!!!

And what a security lapse it was!!!

How can a light aircraft fly into the main airbase with the country's most valuable military assets, drop home made explosives and fly all the way back to the Vanni without a finger being raised by the air force?

Was the entire air force sleeping or were those on duty bought? How can the air force commander go in public wearing pants?

If the SLA, SLN and STF also discharged their duties like the air force, we would now be in tamil eelam.

Alas, this is the price the nation has to pay for putting up with corruption. Recent parliamentary report revealed Rs 150 Billon loss due to corruption and bribes. However, our . President has hardly taken any action against those who we know are responsible. Why would,

1- Someone at the customs not pass through aircraft parts
2- A clerk at MOD tip off LTTE on the whereabouts of the defense sec
3- A soldier at HQ tip off the LTTE when the commander is about to leave the camp
4- An airmen at the airport reveal inside info to LTTE,

If Karu Jayasuriaya, Milinda Moragoda, Jeevan Kumaratunge, Ratnasiri Wicramanayake or Dinesh Gunawardane can also take bribes and swindle money? Without discipline this war cannot be won. When it comes to corruption and mismanagement, the ones in power must be ruthless and make the ones responsible pay. The interests of a few vastly overweigh the intersts of the nation. When are these profound genius ever going to get it?


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Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. - Albert Einstein

I love photos... haha... look at that fat troll in the middle... he looks like "Mr Potato Head" (please google image search "Mr Potato Head" and tell me that I'm lying...) haha...

and I didn't know that, having a moustache was a pre-requirement to joining robin hood and his queer-but-merry men... they are very lovely moustaches, I must say, can't wait for the calendar...  

alright, I'm done, sorry being childish, I couldn't help myself... but you got to admit, they are pretty funny photos...

http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2007/03/taf_9_60650_435.jpg
http://www.neonraven.com/images/mr%20phead.jpg

thilak wrote:

Until yeasterday, Rajapaksha brothers were in the top gear, geting their enemies arrested, closing down bank accounts thus shuting down buisnesses and making all alegations about their subversive activities. BUt even after 24 hours of the so called Air Tiger attck, no RAja to be found to answer the country!!!! Long live SL and the profound genius(and ofcourse power mad JVPers) who put RAJAS TO POWER!!!!

Wrong!

They must be on over-drive to procure some anti-aircratft stuff.

Of course, with a huge commission.

What do you think about Rajapaksa clan?

Michael wrote:

.. he looks like "Mr Potato Head" (please google image search "Mr Potato Head" and tell me that I'm lying...) haha...


http://www.neonraven.com/images/mr%20phead.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/President_Rajapakse.jpg
http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00227/Mahinda_Rajapakse_S_227795c.jpg


Actually, the attached image/s reminded me Mr. Potato Head first.

Athos wrote:

Alas, this is the price the nation has to pay for putting up with corruption. Recent parliamentary report revealed Rs 150 Billon loss due to corruption and bribes. However, our . President has hardly taken any action against those who we know are responsible. Why would,

1- Someone at the customs not pass through aircraft parts
2- A clerk at MOD tip off LTTE on the whereabouts of the defense sec
3- A soldier at HQ tip off the LTTE when the commander is about to leave the camp
4- An airmen at the airport reveal inside info to LTTE,

If Karu Jayasuriaya, Milinda Moragoda, Jeevan Kumaratunge, Ratnasiri Wicramanayake or Dinesh Gunawardane can also take bribes and swindle money? Without discipline this war cannot be won. When it comes to corruption and mismanagement, the ones in power must be ruthless and make the ones responsible pay. The interests of a few vastly overweigh the intersts of the nation. When are these profound genius ever going to get it?

Athos,

Well said. Corruption is the main cause forl what has happned.

Secondly  How many security lapse probes we have wittnessed. ( KIA 1st attack , Army HQ attack etc.).... Until we have a permenant solution we can expect some more security probe commissions in Srilanka.   and politicians pockets are fiiled with money.

Even from a lay person’s point of view, there is no point bombing the LTTE runway because its just a dirt track. When air force drops a few bombs on the runway, they will next day bulldoze it back to normal. Yet this is all they have done so far to counter the threat. I can remember as far back as 2002 there were reports of LTTE pilot training at night time. As far as I am aware, the Kfirs or the Migs, do not have night flying capability. They must have been training all this time at night when our air force was napping.

Quote:

The move is prompted by the acquisition of air capability by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). As exclusively revealed in The Sunday Times (Situation Report) from time to time, the LTTE has constructed a runway capable of handling even a US built Hercules C-130 transport plane and acquired at least two fixed wing aircraft. One of them has been identified as a Czech built Zlin Z-143. Recent reports have revealed that the aircraft have been used during night time for training purposes.

http://lakdiva.org/suntimes/050724/columns/sitrep.html (July 2005)

It also says the runway is large enough for a Hercules C-130 transport plane to land. Why does it have to be this large? Since we cannot detect planes at night, does the govt know if they have been landing military equipment at night using bigger transport planes?

Iranamadu LTTE Air Strip lat=9.30363001287, lon=80.4852953832 (Google Earth)



Last edited by systemx on Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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“We are helping Tamilnadu to achieve self-rule” - V. Balakumaran, Advisor to Prabakaran, (Jan. 2006)

when security forces win in east it MR & brothers take the credit. they are next to king dutugamunu.
when security force loose then it is all lapse of security forces. nothing to do with Alibaba's and thieves.

systemx says,

Quote:

It also says the runway is large enough for a Hercules C-130 transport plane to land. Why does it have to be this large? Since we cannot detect planes at night, does the govt know if they have been landing military equipment at night using bigger transport planes?

Yes, Seystemx, I agree with you.  There are lot of question marks?  I also remember, SLMM saying LTTE didn’t allow them to go and monitor the runway.  And they also very firmly said, if the GOSL bombs the runaway, they would leave Sri Lanka next day!

Again come to one of your points: May be LTTE, plan ahead, one day when the Eelam dream become a reality or in case some other country openly try to help VP,  then, big air crafts can land their easily

It is likely that the LTTE have been flying in weapons and supplies for years--that is not hard to do, if they fly low enough to evade radar. Still these missions are risky and connot provide the heavier equipment. I wonder how active have they been in supplying small quantities of weapons to other groups? And, if they have been successful, why are they now exposing themselves (via the attack on Colombo)?

It is possible that the LTTE is getting desperate. Why? Why else would it expose one of it few secure links to the outside world? By attacking the SLAF base, they have drawn attention to the facilities of the LTTE in a big way. Now, there is pressure from many quarters to do something about these facilities... It is now more likely that these aircraft will be found and destoryed. It possible that the recent pressure on the LTTE for a victory has made it risk its air arm... maybe the pressure is more than we can understand, maybe the losses in the East are greater than we can understand, maybe the need for a propaganda victory is very intense.


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Do not start a war, unless it is already won...

C'mon PO. you are almost genius. just think a little bit more, then you will be an 'absolute genious'. your theories are so fabulous.

BTW, i like the way you justify the increasing cost of food-chains. since inflation is flying so high, it is understandable that all the commisons kakkas want more. the end results would be as negombo says, now people eat punnakku and very soon they will eat 'pullu' (grass).

Ray--I am at a loss on what I wrote is amazing... It seems rather silly for the LTTE to expose its air assets when they are better used to make money gun-running, etc. I suppose, you think that the LTTE is doing fine. My guess is that they are desperate, and desperate people do desperate things.

Justifications of costs for the MiGs. Are you suggesting that these planes not cost what it cost? Provide some means to know how much they should cost? Same as a used car? ($5,000)? Same as a used leisure boat ($50,000)? Same as a used Cessna ($100,000)? What? (The numbers I am giving are not accurate--just rhetorical to get you to think what airframes designed for war might cost. To get a refurbished jet aircraft with over 3000 hours of flying life on it and with a service contract for $2.5 million sounds reasonable to me!

But, then Ray, you are always interested in conspiracy theories. I am trying to understand what one would do to make money from a war, as the Ukranians are no doubt doing. And, who could blame them? Are Sri Lankans making money from the war--yes! Throughout history people have made money from weapons sales. Indeed, entire economies depened on weapons sales for GDP growth: UK, US are only two examples.

I have not read anything here that suggests the actual cost of these aircraft in the open market... is there a website with MiG 27Ms on offer? Is there some used plane lot the SLAF can bargain?


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Do not start a war, unless it is already won...