Small boat operations: Now, UK wants to share Lankas experience
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Against the backdrop of Sri Lankas unparalleled military victory over LTTE terrorism, foreign powers are lining up to study Sri Lankas modus operandi in fighting the LTTE.
Former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, who spearheaded the war against the LTTE, declared on the Vellimullivaikkal beach that the international community would seek Sri Lankas expertise as it was the only success story against terrorism since the British campaign in Malaya in the 1950s. But that was against terrorists armed with 303 rifles, whereas the Sri Lanka army faced a well equipped enemy with sea and air assets.
Among the requests, was one from the UK for a comprehensive report on naval operations directed against the LTTE. India, too, has sought information on naval operations with special emphasis on small boat operations.
Well informed sources said that a former British Defence Attache based in Colombo had made the request on behalf of the UK. Sources said that this was preceded by the British parliament calling for a review of weapons exports to Sri Lanka. Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya told The Island that the army had not acquired any British armaments, and weapons of British origin had not been deployed in Eelam war IV. The SLAF and SLN, too, rejected the British claim.
Sources said that the navy was surprised to receive the British request. They were particularly interested in the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) which played a critical role in overwhelming the Sea Tigers in the seas once dominated by the enemy.
Sources said that former Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karanngoda resumed a boat building project at Welisara base to facilitate the expansion of the SBS over three years ago.
Under his direction, the navy launched well over 100 23 feet long arrow type boats, sources said adding that the craft powered by two Japanese 200 horsepower outboard motors carried one 23 mm cannon and a 40 mm grenade launcher among other weapons.
Sources said that both the UK and India had wanted Lanka to share her experience in SBS operations. To strengthen small boat operations, the navy subsequently launched the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) and deployed it alongside the SBS. As a part of its new strategy, the navy deployed small boats along with primary strike force-Fast Attack Squadrons and were responsible for imposing a blockade on Mullaitivu in the east coast during the last stages of the ground offensive.
Sources said that countries with large navies faced with terrorist threats would be keen to learn from Sri Lankas experience, particularly in view of the danger posed by explosives-laden small craft targeting warships as in the case of the suicide attack on the USN destroyer Cole on October 12, 2000 in the port of Aden in Yemen.
A group of US military personnel is currently in Sri Lanka to conduct a series of joint training exercises with the SBS in the East. The visit is the first by foreign military personnel after the end of war last May. Sources said that Fast Boat Squadrons, too, had shared their experience with the US over a period of several years as part of a US-Lanka military training programme launched during the Kumaratunga presidency.
This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 23, 2009 9:08 PM This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 23, 2009 9:07 PM This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 23, 2009 9:07 PM
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Now doubt Lankan fought 30 years against organized foreign backed LTTE, they have lots of success stories. This need to be shared and learn ....nothing shameful...
PEACE
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If Sri Lankan forces gained some invaluable and rare experiences from defeating the LTTE then it makes perfect sense for those experiences to be passed on to any and all friendly nations.
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of course indians with thier "super success" story in anti terror ops like in mumbai is an example of how not to be fcuk ups for the world to study
Pakistan Airforce: The largest distributor of Indian airforce parts in Asia
Pathankot Strike
8 F-86Fs of No 19 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider struck Pathankot airfield. With carefully positioned dives and selecting each individual aircraft in their protected pens for their strafing attacks, the strike elements completed a textbook operation against Pathankot. Wing Commander M G Tawab, flying one of the two Sabres as tied escorts overhead, counted 14 wrecks burning on the airfield. Among the aircraft destroyed on the ground were nearly all of the IAFs Soviet-supplied Mig-21s till then received, none of which were seen again during the War.
Britain/the West was more interested in isolating and punishing Sri Lanka and this news items will cause a ruckus in SL with a lot of chatter over the usual appalling double standards -at its height shown best by the words and actions of Gordon Browns banana boy (plus Hillary in the shadows). If interested read on
Milliband and Kouchner took on the role of Thompson and Thompson from the TinTin comics while providing the space within Britain for Tamils to plan and execute their bus and train bombs, village cullings and financial support to acquire weapons, providing "diplomatic treatment" for well known LTTE leaders (having some bailed from jail in Thailand, trying to save the ones in Sri Lanka) and the various attempts to scuttle Sri Lanka's war effort to ensure separatism didn't end has earned Britain a place in the group of least friendly nations (Norway holds the top spot).
Then theres funding opposition parties election campaigns, attempting to bribe government MPs to defect during crucial budget votes all with hopes of toppling the current Government to bring into power the opposition stooges.
Then theres the British Ambassador (Dominic Chilcott was his name) who gets up onto a stage to give a memorial lecture for Dudely Senanayake but instead decides to use that platform to order Sinhala people to abandon their 2,500 year old language and speak English so a bunch of Tamil transplants would "feel welcome" (bad enough the North is for Tamils only, while the rest of the country from mosquito coils and soap bars to highway signs and Government documents everything is written in Tamil).
Then theres the racist, hypocritical and fraud Tamil "protests", Western media attacks (e.g. The Times obsession with Sri Lanka where they would have made Gobles jealous), SL Embassy and Sinhala owned shops being "brig bombed" (not limited to Britain). Attacks on Sri Lankan cricket fans during the World 20/20 many of whom were physically attacked, including a 60 year old women who was assaulted and most disgusting of all was when a doctor whos 7 year old sons SL cricket shirt was partially ripped off him, as he walked over to confront the Tamil youth who did it (around 20-25 years old) the Tamils two friends went to the doctors wife who was holding their other 5 year old child (he was standing while she had her arms around him) pulled him and pushed him away from her and tried to grab and pull her breasts of her then attempted to push her to the floor before making a casual departure as other cricket fans had stepped in by this point.
All this happening in front of an uninterested Police.
This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 24, 2009 1:51 AM This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 24, 2009 1:46 AM
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the lankans were trained by the Chinese primarily and all the Chinese really taught them that won the insurgency at the end was to be ruthless and use mass fire artillery.
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the lankans were trained by the Chinese primarily and all the Chinese really taught them that won the insurgency at the end was to be ruthless and use mass fire artillery.
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The war had far more dimensions to it than that bland description, it went beyond the battle field to the rest of the nation, the seas and onto foreign countries.
Besides if that was done, the war would not have taken 3 years (this phase of it) to complete nor would so many of our soldiers have needed to die. Truthfully we would not need to bother with artillery, the Wanni jungle could have been easily carpet bombed and burnt to the ground [[no long term environmental issues either, it would grow back within a 100 years, has happened before .]]
We had corned the LTTE and the human shield they had accumulated over months into a 5-7km strip of land by the end of January.
War ended in May 18th.
If we used mass artillery fire it would not have taken 4 months to end that siege.
To quote S. L. Gunasekara:
< Coming back to the Lords and Masters of these Politicians, they do not appear to appreciate the simple fact that if, as they so airily allege, our forces used "heavy weapons" on the thin sliver of land that was all the Tiger Terrorists ultimately had, they could not have taken as long as they did to finally defeat the Tiger Terrorists and reclaim that sliver of land; nor could they have suffered so many casualties in the process. The time taken and the number of casualties suffered by our Forces constitute irrefutable proof of the fact that the final victory was achieved not by a barrage of artillery fire and/or bombing but by an infantry operation designed to avoid civilian casualties. The figure of 20,000 civilian deaths is one the Western Hypocrites and their "Native Compradors" have obviously plucked out of thin air.
<br>
Yet, even assuming, purely for the sake of argument, that our Forces did use heavy artillery and aerial bombing to end the conflict and that they did cause 20,000 civilian deaths in the process, can our Forces be justly accused of any wrong-doing ??? The "Safe Zone" was designed for civilians and civilians alone: it was never meant or intended to be a sanctuary for Tiger Terrorists. It is beyond dispute that the Tiger Terrorists crept into that Zone and attacked our Forces from there, while holding some civilians hostage as "Human Shields". Once the Tiger Terrorists had crept in, the "Safe Zone" ceased to be one, and became, to all intents and purposes, a legitimate target. It could hardly be said that if a gang of terrorists uses some civilians as human shields, operations against them must cease forthwith, so as to save those civilians for, since taking civilians hostage and using them as "human shields" is no difficult matter, if such an alleged "principle" is accepted, it must follow that any group of terrorists would be free to exist indefinitely and commit more and more acts of terrorism provided they could take enough "Human Shields"! Would even the Hypocritical West accept such a "principle" and act accordingly if they cornered Prabhakaran's junior counterpart Osama Bin Laden and he hid behind some "human shields" ??? >>>
\\the lankans were trained by the Chinese primarily and all the Chinese really taught them that won the insurgency at the end was to be ruthless and use mass fire artillery. \\
The Chinese did not train the Lankans.They gave them weapons after India refused to supply offensive weaponery citing domestic compulsions.But the Indians said they would have no objections if the Lankans procure weapons from others.The Lankan kept the Indians informed about the weapons they were getting from the chinese.The Indians did gave counter insurgency training to the Lankans though.The Srilankans were regular visitors to the Elite School of Counter Insurgency and Jungle warfare in India's North East state of Mizoram. The Indians also provided Mi17s covertly which proved valuable to the Lankans in addition to helping the Lankans by blocking the LTTE's sea supply routes.
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Let Noble Thoughts Come to Us from All Sides- RigVeda
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Naww, the Indians don't wish the Sri Lankans any luck. We didn't hand them Jaffna after Op Pawan did we? LOL!
Anti-SL this, anti sri lanka that, boss, we got Jaffna for you back in the late 80's, you lost it because your soldiers were inefficient and ill trained. To fix that, we trained them in jungle warfare at our CIJWS, we provided you radars, doctors, Mi-17's, even a damn warship, Google SLNS Sayura.
If India truly wanted to annex Sri Lanka then we should have done it when the fool, whats his name, premadasa? was ordering the SLA to attack the IPKF.
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Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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India did not give anything back to sri lanka in one piece.. in fact indian army were getting their rear raped and they simply signed a treaty that please dont attack us when we retreat out of your areas...
If india won anything for lanka then even if Sri lankan army were to raise such level of insurgency then it would still have taken years for them to regroup.. but the story was that india did not do sh1t! only got their @ss dirty.
____________________________________________
"Anti indian, the raja of the jungle!!"
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India did not give anything back to sri lanka in one piece.
LOL, you have no clue what you're talking about do you? Premadasa in his hate for India had started arming the LTTE to counter the Indian army in case we refused to leave. The IA withdrawal had started the day Premadasa got elected, even before he issued any ultimatums. Befor the IA withdrew, the LTTE were merely limited to the jungles at the northern tip of Sri Lanka (Vavuniya?). Jaffna was under SLA control but they ended up losing it to the LTTE once the IA withdrew. LEarn something before you spout rubbish, LOL!
they simply signed a treaty that please dont attack us when we retreat out of your areas
Back this claim up. Give links which are neutral, not rupeenews or some other swine link.
but the story was that india did not do sh1t!
We did more than Pakistan ever did
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Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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Pakistan Airforce: The largest distributor of Indian airforce parts in Asia
Pathankot Strike
8 F-86Fs of No 19 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider struck Pathankot airfield. With carefully positioned dives and selecting each individual aircraft in their protected pens for their strafing attacks, the strike elements completed a textbook operation against Pathankot. Wing Commander M G Tawab, flying one of the two Sabres as tied escorts overhead, counted 14 wrecks burning on the airfield. Among the aircraft destroyed on the ground were nearly all of the IAFs Soviet-supplied Mig-21s till then received, none of which were seen again during the War.
Premadasa wrote a letter to Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, regarding the IPKF withdrawal on June 1, 1989, as follows:
"My dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to you on some matters of urgent importance. The most immediate matter relates to the presence of Indian forces in Sri Lanka. After I assumed presidency of Sri Lanka, the government of India initiated the withdrawal of troops. We are grateful for your prompt action in this regard.
"One of the important campaign pledges made by me at both the presidential and parliamentary elections was the withdrawal of the IPKF on being elected to office. I assumed the office of president of Sri Lanka on the 2nd January 1989. Five months have elapsed since then. The complete withdrawal of the IPKF will hopefully contribute to stabilizing the situation in Sri Lanka, where the presence of the IPKF has become a deeply divisive and resentful issue. It is also in keeping with your often expressed sentiments that IPKF will be withdrawn when requested by the president of Sri Lanka.
"I am thankful for the efforts of the IPKF during the time it has been in our country. I have often paid tribute to the bravery of many officers and men who lost their life and limbs in the discharge of their duties. The tragedy of violence has not only affected your soldiers, it has destroyed many Sri Lankans as well. Our armed forces and large numbers of civilians, innocent and uninvolved, have suffered beyond description. Their sacrifices must not be in vain. I am confident that a complete withdrawal of the IPKF will enable me to secure the trust and confidence of my people. Therefore, I would like all IPKF personnel to be withdrawn by July 31, 1989.
"The withdrawal of the IPKF will also enable Sri Lanka to host the SARC [South Asian Regional Conference] summit in November this year in a climate of tranquility. As you are aware, we could not undertake our obligation to do this 1988. You will appreciate how difficult it is to a regional gathering of this nature with foreign forces on our soil. Our people are most enthusiastic about welcoming leaders of our own region, particularly our closest neighbors. However, their anxieties must also be satisfied especially in relation to their deep patriotic and nationalists sensitivities.
"In this context, we have submitted several proposals regarding an Indo-Sri Lanka friendship treaty. I believe that, in the long term, such an agreement will further strengthen relations between India and Sri Lanka. I await your response to our proposals in this regard.
"We have always appreciated your sincere interest in the unity and the territorial integrity of our country. Our own efforts to this end need the understanding and goodwill of our neighbors. I believe that your people and you yourself share these objectives and will contribute to their realization. I have just seen an aide memoir, which was handed over by your High Commissioner this evening. As the aide memoir refers to the need for consultations between our governments I am designating my Foreign Secretary to personally clarify our position on these matters. With assurance of my highest consideration and esteem."
==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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Pakistan Airforce: The largest distributor of Indian airforce parts in Asia
Pathankot Strike
8 F-86Fs of No 19 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider struck Pathankot airfield. With carefully positioned dives and selecting each individual aircraft in their protected pens for their strafing attacks, the strike elements completed a textbook operation against Pathankot. Wing Commander M G Tawab, flying one of the two Sabres as tied escorts overhead, counted 14 wrecks burning on the airfield. Among the aircraft destroyed on the ground were nearly all of the IAFs Soviet-supplied Mig-21s till then received, none of which were seen again during the War.
==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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By 1980 India had armed and trained around 20,000 Tamil militants, providing them with latest weapons and tactics (based on Indias own experience with Pakistan and China), fully financed them and set up the shipping network to bring in arms from South East Asia as well as providing them all the necessary contacts from the region.
In comparison the Sri Lanka Military of the time was made of roughly 8,000 men still using weapons and tactics from WWII and better known for its role as a parade ground force, the Navy had ships which belonged in museums while the Air Force didn't have any jet aircraft.
India did this to punish the then JR Government for "defying" India with his pro-Western/US foreign policy which radically improved Sri Lanka's economy growing greater than that of India in the late 70s, incidentally around the same time India started training Tamil militants, providing sanctuary for Tamil racists and encouraging Tamil separatism (JR was a worthless bastard but for other slightly unrelated reasons).
India through RAW planned many of the Tamil militant operations against the SL Military and Sinhala farming villages, executed widespread riots, as well as the attacks on Anuradhapura and Buddhist monks in 1986 and the Kent and Dollar brutal massacre of Sinhala children in 1984 - all to make SL tow the Indian line and collapse the JR Government.
When the LTTE and Prabakaran were corned in Vadarmaachchi during Operation Liberation in 1987 Rajiv Ghandi ordered the infamous air drop, transport planes swooped over head with Mirage fighter escorts to drop supplies, all the SL Military could do was watch the whole event on the radar. The message was clear and our Armed Forces we stopped in tracks when they were only a couple hundred metres away from Praba. Rajiv had Prabakaran air lifted to safety for tea and biscuits in a 5 star hotel in Chennai and had a one to one chat. This "invasion" was followed up the so called the "Indo-Lanka Accord" shoved down are throats and forcing our Army out of all the territory it pain fully captured to be replaced by the IPKF to supposedly do what we were about to do before India stopped us. As a result other Tamil militant groups (the LTTE was by far the most dominant and powerful of the lot) who had gone into hiding and which were being actively hunted down by the SL Army were now free to roam around where and how they want.
The "Indian Peace Keeping Force"(lol) had no intention of "disarming" the Tamil militants (why would they anyway? They were the ones who gave them the weapons in the first place).
The only reason the IPKF had to fight the LTTE and other Tamil militants was because Rajiiv who had promised Prabakaran a separate state and full Indian support then said "no eelam for Tamils". At this point the LTTE angered at being treated like the pawns they were went to war with the IPKF. The whole purpose behind India radically de-stabilising Sri Lanka was to create the conditions necessary to enter Sri Lanka (under the guise of "regional peace and security") and set up a permanent Indian presence in Sri Lanka and perhaps eventually annex Sri Lanka (like Sikkim). When the Sri Lankan military finally managed to turn the table on India's tiger pets did India jump into action to save them with the airdrop (air drop was preceded by some boat trip carried out by that Tamil guy Subramnian Swamy which failed).
At its height there were up to 145,000 Indian soldiers in Sri Lanka. Many of these Indian soldiers/commanders had starting building houses, taking land and even stealing from other peoples homes. I know this because my uncle's house in Trincomalee nearly had its gates robbed by heavily armed Indian soldiers and a Colonel who "liked the look and design" of the gates. This theft was only stopped when the small Sri Lanka Army detachment (who had been confined to their bases under the "Indo Lankan Accord" no one in Sri Lanka wanted or asked for) answered the plea for assistance.
Events like this occurred a lot and spread like wildfire in the South. Many Sinhalese were already reeling with anger at how India A)armed Tamil militants and B)came and saved them when they were about to be extinguished. The war in Sri Lanka could have in reality ended 22 years ago had it not been for "Indian intervention". Further point of contention is how India crushed the Sikhs with tanks at the Golden temple -we all know how India deals with "rebels", and how Indians would be screaming in anger if someone did an air drop on them when on the verge of a major victory, or was sponsoring violence/training armed groups in India. (Its also why many Sinhalese find Indian anger directed at Pakistan for supposedly carrying out "cross border attacks" reeking of hypocrisy on most occasions and comical on some occasions).
We also had the Indian high commissioner Dixit who was acting like a Vice Roy ordering around JR and Premadasa while always throwing cocktail parties for various Colombo based Embassy staff and bragging about Indian "brilliance" and "strategic intervention in the name of peace" (we've heard that many times lately).
The lingering Sinhala anger manifested itself into the JVP insurrection during 87,88 and 89. The JVP (Marxists) capitalised on Sinhala anger, fears and outrage to launch their second stupid "red revolution".
Premadasa could only cease the fires in the South (which in the end killed 50,000 Sinhala Buddhist youth) by getting rid of the IPKF. So some of the Indian weapons, and construction equipment (for Military bases or houses??) and Tata trucks that had been unofficially impounded in Colombo port back in 1987 when the IPKF first arrived was sent to the LTTE (early Islamic Jihadist groups linked to todays muslim racist Rauf Hakeem were used to make the transfer). A tough decision and agreeably the wrong one. The LTTE of course had already gone to war with the IPKF since Rajiv had betrayed his original agreement with Prabakaran (the Tamil puppet chief Minster for the North and East installed by India even declared Independence once the betrayal unravelled but this did not even make it onto the front page of any paper). The Indian Army was struggling, seceding huge swathes of territory that the LTTE and other Tamil militants did not even have control of back in the 70s, and thats how by the 90s the LTTE controlled nearly 70% of the North and East of Sri Lanka.
India only stopped its overt support for Tamil militancy, the LTTE and "cross border attacks" on Sri Lanka after Rajiivs death.
Post 1995 saw Military disaster after disaster culminating with the loss of Elephant Pass in 2000, to which all the blame lies with President Chandrika.
This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 24, 2009 7:52 PM
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Anti-SL this, anti sri lanka that, boss, we got Jaffna for you back in the late 80's, you lost it because your soldiers were inefficient and ill trained. To fix that, we trained them in jungle warfare at our CIJWS, we provided you radars, doctors, Mi-17's, even a damn warship, Google SLNS Sayura.
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Indian forces never captured Jaffna Town. Do not mix Jaffna town with the Peninsula. Jaffna town had been under the control of various Tamil groups since the late 70s until it was taken back by Sri Lankan forces in 1995. Indian forces did roam around parts of Jaffna peninsula, the parts of the peninsula already under the control (captured or never lost) of the Sri Lankan Government/ Army.
To fix that, we trained them in jungle warfare at our CIJWS, we provided you radars, doctors, Mi-17's, even a damn warship, Google SLNS Sayura.
As i have said in a couple of threads, Sri Lanka has received Military training from many countries including India, Pakistan, the US and Israel. However we built on the training provided and developed our own unique skills and abilities for jungle and counter insurgency warfare. As well as developing tactics to deal with fast boat attacks, littoral warfare and suicide boat attacks which has been mentioned in the above news item from the Island paper.
Also no offence, but the Indra-II radars were useless (words of the Indian operator not mine). The doctors were really for India to have a ground presence in Sri Lanka under the cover of helping with Tamil IDPs (and LTTE cadres, many of them, disguised as civilians) needing medical attention we do have our own medical personal and plenty of them, but help is help and no need to reject it. The 5 Mi-17s were given for the Tsunami on lease of which only two were delivered and were returned to India in mid 2005. The Sayura has been useful but it alone did not win the war for us (had a major role though). It was bought during Chandrika's time to as a sort of "friendship" thing (instead of two Russian ships) during a failed attempt to create a Naval Air Wing (that failed because of corruption and ineptitude of the then Vice Admiral who was one of Chandrika's lackeys).
Sayura spent most of its time in dry dock or patrolling near the Maldives. Only when the current MR Government came to power was it equipped with Israeli technology which really improved its worth and enabling it to play an excellent role in hunting down LTTE weapons transport vessels which the SL Military had dubbed "floating war houses. I must add, those shipping networks and access to South East Asian weapons bazaars was set up RAW for the LTTE in the 70s/80s.
This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 24, 2009 7:46 PM
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The Chinese did not train the Lankans.They gave them weapons after India refused to supply offensive weaponery citing domestic compulsions.
India actually tried to dictate what Sri Lanka could or could not have. Theres the "we're a big power speech"
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Come to us for weapons: Narayanan to Lanka
Posted: Friday , Jun 01, 2007 at 0032 hrs
CHENNAI, MAY 31:
Objecting strongly to indications from Sri Lanka that it would shop for weapons in China or Pakistan for its war against the Tamil Tigers, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan today said the Island Nation should approach only India "whatever its requirements". But India would not provide any 'offensive' weaponry and the assistance would only be confined to 'defensive capabilities,' he added hastily.
Emerging from a 45-minute meeting with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, Narayanan said: "It is quite clear we are the big power in the region. Whatever their requirements, they should come to us. We will give what is necessary." However, he declined to elaborate on how India would meet Sri Lankas military needs when it took the stand that it was against providing 'offensive' capabilities.
Narayanans remarks are significant as it comes in the wake of reports that Sri Lanka had indicated that it would have to approach China and Pakistan for arms, if India was unable to provide them. As for the Tigers having acquired air-strike capability, Narayanan said: We are not in favour of a group labeled as a terrorist organisation having air capability.
""
When the LTTE and Prabakaran were corned in Vadarmaachchi during Operation Liberation in 1987 Rajiv Ghandi ordered the infamous air drop, transport planes swooped over head with Mirage fighter escorts to drop supplies, all the SL Military could do was watch the whole event on the radar. The message was clear and our Armed Forces we stopped in tracks when they were only a couple hundred metres away from Praba. Rajiv had Prabakaran air lifted to safety for tea and biscuits in a 5 star hotel in Chennai and had a one to one chat. """
Link for this part please.
""The whole purpose behind India radically de-stabilising Sri Lanka was to create the conditions necessary to enter Sri Lanka (under the guise of "regional peace and security") and set up a permanent Indian presence in Sri Lanka and perhaps eventually annex Sri Lanka (like Sikkim).""
But if India really had those intentions why did they just not invade the Sri Lanka that was composed of 6000 soldiers? Why was the withdrawal of the IPKF initiated as soon as premadasa got elected?
""Events like this occurred a lot and spread like wildfire in the South. Many Sinhalese were already reeling with anger at how India A)armed Tamil militants and B)came and saved them when they were about to be extinguished.""
The sinhalese were angry at this, the tigers were angry cause they were denied an eelam, yet both of them negotiated with India, conducted ops against each other etc etc. Does that make sense?
""Further point of contention is how India crushed the Sikhs with tanks at the Golden temple""
Google for the operations that happened after that. Op black thunder. The IA learnt its lesson. How many times has armor been used in other troubled areas like Kashmir and our NE?
respond to the rest of your posts later, its late and I have a "better" thing to do
==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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Go dolphins (Login rockindie) Satyameva Jayate(India)
Re: Now, UK wants to share Lanka’s experience
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August 24 2009, 9:07 PM
Lokuballa99,
I am afraid you are being less than candid. Actually, I think that you are talking nonsense, the way you would expect a brainwashed Pakistani, Chinese or someone from other repressed/controlled countries to do; which is not really surprising considering the way SL (the last hope of a free, democratic and a civilized neighbour that India had of having) is going lately.
You must be on a 24 hours propaganda medicine to really believe that LTTE, who killed a former prime-minister of India, was getting any sympathy, let alone aid from Indian state. This is not the way India works in general.
The fact is that Sri Lanka won because it abandoned the moral principles, tactics and most importantly the values of modern warfare and stooped to the level of those terrorists (and countries like Pakistan and China; both of whom actively guided them in this transformation). Modern indirect conflicts with terrorists/guerrillas and such are highly asymmetrical by definition. They are fought by opponents with almost opposite doctrines and value systems which means there is always a huge temptation, pressure and incentives for abandoning those civilized values and making the warfare a bit more symmetric. But then you lose the whole point of the war in the first place as you just become one of them.
Do you honestly believe that NATO/US can't wrap up their war in AfPak with in a few months if they stoop to the levels of those indiscriminate terrorists? Would they be proud of their victory the same way as you are advertising the SL win over LTTE if they did just that? Pakistan can send trained terrorists to single out innocents on the basis of religions and butcher them but can India do the same with (even some of) those 100,000 soldiers that we captured in that record breaking surrender 71, one of the biggest in the recent history?
No.
And this, my friend, is the fundamental difference between these countries and what SL has become in the process of this victory. Sure UK in Ireland, India in Kashmir, Israel in Middle East, US/NATO in Iraq/AfPak can or could have won (for some definition of a *win*) with in weeks if they had accepted doing what Mao did in China/Tibet, Pakistan did to East Pakistan/Bangladesh, Arab terrorists and their financiers in ME do/did in WTC in NY and basically what they do almost every day ... It is not difficult, all one has to do is to become animal enough. Enough to indiscriminately kill and bomb your own and your enemies' citizens without remorse.
The fact is that none of these countries are/were willing to do that and it was quite clear some years ago that this was precisely what Sri Lanka was doing. This was the reason that India, US, UK, Europe and basically every civilized country in the world stopped providing weapons (despite big incentives and pressure for doing the opposite, at least in the case of India) at some point in the recent years. This is where China and Pakistan - countries which are not bound by quite the same rules and values as the civilized/normal world - saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both ends.
I hate to say this to you but it not some mysterious and deep tactics and/or some magical transformation of an inept SL force (you know it is/was true as evidenced during the past few decades of this war) into some super-duper fighting machine.
The explanation is much simpler; you just agreed to become and to do whatever it took to claim that victory.
And say what you want, the truth is that Miliband had the courage and conviction to stand up in what he believed, despite the pressure for doing otherwise (perhaps even against the will of some his own government) and the guy deserves praise for doing that.
I wish I could say the same of our own government who, like in most cases, just couldn't take a firm diplomatic stand one way or other. The brutal human right violations being committed by SL were widely known in Indian official circles (as in the rest of the world) but the pressure of blackmail; the threat and danger of SL going completely to the Chinese/Pak camp, and other such practicalities won the day in the end and India, sadly, decided to remain a silent witness to a horrible tragedy being committed right in our neighbourhood. Of course, I'm ashamed of our government for doing this.
Anyway, we lost the last of our civilized neighbours but then, I guess, if you want to join the group of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma and China and the likes then it for your government to decide and I'm sure you will be more than welcome there.
This message has been edited by rockindie on Aug 24, 2009 9:19 PM This message has been edited by rockindie on Aug 24, 2009 9:09 PM
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Well it seems some Indian forum members are uneasy to hear that civilised and democratic India carrys out cross-border violence and gets up to other naughty games clearly below its stature.
Someone asked for sources, so here you go:
"Ironically, both radars were sent from the Hindon military base on the outskirts of Delhi. This was the place from where helicopters were despatched via Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu to rescue the LTTE leader V. Prabakaran at Vadamarachchi on the northern tip of Jaffna after the Sri Lankan Army had cornered him in the late 80s."
"Within six days of its formation at Hindon, the unit ferried five Helicopters to Srilanka. Besides the airlift provided to Prabhakaran, the LTTE leader, from Jaffna to Trichy for talks with the Indian Prime Minister , the unit flew 155:35 hrs and airlifted 608 personnel and 18 tons of load in one month."
"Its failing fortunes in the present war have pushed the LTTE back to the position in which it was in 1987 under mortal danger from the Sri Lanka security forces. It was India that rescued the LTTE then."
"Taking part on the same day , in the same institute but on a separate panel discussion Indian diplomat G. Parathasarathy said "India paid it price for backing the LTTE" and "We have learnt our lesson" for backing the terrorist group"
"Indira Gandhi began to give support to Sri Lankan Tamil parties and Tamil militant groups from 1980 onwards" (page 15).
"There were media reports confirming the fact that from 1981 onwards India had provided training, weaponry and logistical support to Tamil militant groups" (page 23).
J.N. Dixit was High Commissioner to Sri Lanka between 1985 and 1989. (A dirty SoB)
And here's a good summary:
Lanka Letter: RAW THE RASCAL by Prem Raj in Colombo.
Up to the mid-seventies the Sri Lankan government had kept India happy by following policies which followed the Indian line - domestically and externally. The trouble began in 1977 when the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) lost power to the Jayewardene-led United National Party in elections. He moved towards a more cooperative policy with the United States and Sri Lanka chose to oppose the Indian demand for the withdrawal of all foreign naval forces from the Indian Ocean. Mrs. Gandhi had already been irked by Sri Lankas support to Pakistan during the 1971 war when it allowed landing and fuelling facilities to Pakistans East-West commercial flights.
So RAW saw a perfect opportunity to exploit within the prevailing dispute between the Sinhalese majority (74 percent) and Tamil minority (14 percent) over distribution of economic and social spoils of independence. Before the two sides could work out a compromise, India, through its RAW, managed to polarise the two sides as well as militarise this essentially political conflict. On the Mukti Bahini model, RAW built up terrorist training camps in India for a number of Tamil terrorist organisations, while India suddenly began orchestrating a public campaign feigning concern because of the links the Tamils had with the 50 million Indian Tamils of Tamil Nadu state - which was separated from Sri Lanka by the Palk Straits. It was only a matter of time before the militants trained in India began sidelining the moderate Tamils and instead demanding complete independence - Ealam. Ironically, the presence of Tamil training camps in Tamil Nadu often created a law and order situation when large arms were captured by the state police. The surprise for the state government came when New Delhi ordered that such captured material be returned.
According to Rohan Gunaratna, in his book "Indian Intervention in Sri Lanka", RAW waged a secret war in India beginning 1983 so that when the Sri Lankan armed forces launched a major offensive against the Tamil militancy in 1987, the Indian government had already ensured that the Tamils were well supplied and were able to conduct terrorist acts that brought the war closer to Colombo. Tamil Nadu had become the sanctuary for the Tamil terrorists in their hit-and-run tactics. Already, a year prior to this offensive, that is by 1986, there were over 20,000 Indian trained and financed Tamils and India forced Sri Lanka through this militant pressure to alter its foreign policy. But even more crucial, India by now was systematically destabilising Sri Lanka. Being unable to resist the temptation to now intervene directly, India used the Sri Lankan offensive against the Tamil terrorists to force Sri Lanka to accept Indias armed intervention ostensibly to save innocent Tamil civilians. Unfortunately for India, the controversial Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of July 1987 proved to be as much of a failure as Indias policy of direct intervention. The result was Indias massively assisted LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) turned on its benefactor and declared war against the Indian forces in Sri Lanka. All in all, this Indian adventure killed 60,000 men, women and children and forced the Indians to withdraw their forces without successfully completing their mission. The price has been steep for both India and Sri Lanka and even today Sri Lanka is paying the price for this Indian-initiated and RAW inspired polarised conflict. The extent of RAWs role in this affair has been painstakingly documented by Gunaratna in his book on the Indian intervention.
\\India actually tried to dictate what Sri Lanka could or could not have. Theres the "we're a big power speech"\\
India did not dictate anything to Sri Lanka on the ground .The speech from K.R.Narayanan was nothing but a political stunt to gain support of Tamil Nadu Chief minister Karunanidhi before elections.He made that statement right after meeting Karunanidhi.
'Emerging from a 45-minute meeting with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, Narayanan said: ..
India did everything behind the scenes to bloster the Srilankan Govt without appearing to support them overtly because of the political sensitivites in Tamil nadu.
India's hidden hand behind Lanka's victory over LTTE: book
'Even as it publicly refused to give Sri Lanka any offensive weapons for the war against LTTE, India had a "hidden hand" in the success of the island nation's campaign over the terrorist outfit, says a new book.'
And there is no point now going through the events of 1980s.Even the srilankan president Rajapaksa admitted that the policies of SL govt in the 80s were primarily responsible for the Indian support to LTTE in the 80s.Its no secret that as long as the LTTE had Indian support, it was doing fine.But as soon as the Indians shifted their support to the SL govt after Rajiv's death, it was well known even in Srilanka that the LTTE days are numbered.So what exactly is this discussion about ?
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Let Noble Thoughts Come to Us from All Sides- RigVeda
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1) LTTE was intially armed and trained by the RAW/ Indian army
2) IPKF went in, could NOT defeat the tigers
3) the indian eventually left
4) decades later Sri Lankan military finally uprooted them
the above are bonafide facts. indians bark what they want, in the end it came to a situation where indians created a problem, couldnt solve and left the mess for the sri lankans to finish off with pakistani/chinese and israeli assistence.
end of story
Pakistan Airforce: The largest distributor of Indian airforce parts in Asia
Pathankot Strike
8 F-86Fs of No 19 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider struck Pathankot airfield. With carefully positioned dives and selecting each individual aircraft in their protected pens for their strafing attacks, the strike elements completed a textbook operation against Pathankot. Wing Commander M G Tawab, flying one of the two Sabres as tied escorts overhead, counted 14 wrecks burning on the airfield. Among the aircraft destroyed on the ground were nearly all of the IAFs Soviet-supplied Mig-21s till then received, none of which were seen again during the War.
India's hidden hand behind Lanka's victory over LTTE: book
'Even as it publicly refused to give Sri Lanka any offensive weapons for the war against LTTE, India had a "hidden hand" in the success of the island nation's campaign over the terrorist outfit, says a new book.'
Well victory does have a thousand fathers and defeat is always an orphan. If the outcome of the war was different this "hand" would defiantly remain hidden.
Lanka rejects some of Gokhales claims
< "A senior Defence official yesterday said though Sri Lanka had received Indian support for its military campaign against the LTTE, there was absolutely no truth in the claim that India gifted five Mi-17 helicopters to the SLAF. He said that Nitin A. Gokhales claim made in his book "Sri Lanka - From War to Peace" was baseless. The Sri Lankan military also dismissed the claim that an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) acquired from India had been involved in SLAF operations to evacuate army Special Forces and Commandos operating deep inside LTTE-held territory. The SLAF had flown a few rescue missions involving Bell 212s and Mi 24 helicopter gunships but there had not been any role whatsoever by the navy, the official said." >>> (SF)
I already mentioned in an earlier post (see above) about the helicopters and the ship.
Mr. Gokhale has spun in a bit of his own imagination while penning this book, or maybe hes just trying to piss of Karunanidhi (now thats a funny sight).
SL got plenty of help with hardware and training from practically everywhere, India has blown hot and cold (Tamil Nadu factor playing into this as you said). The war was deemed "un-winnable" by the West and all the other big noise makers, top Indian generals towed this line as did the likes of B. Raman, all of whom were proved wrong in the end.
India's assistance was rather small when compared to what was received from other places, so India trying to be another father of the victory and claim a large sum of the credit is odd.
As for the 1980s stuff, well a few misconceptions regarding those times needed correcting
Sri Lanka choosing to adopt independent policies and what were progressive national policies in the 70s which managed to "upset" India does not justify India's actions in destabilising, exasperating and seeding violence in Sri Lanka or anywhere else (well it would if India did not possess and project a "holier than thou" attitude to the whole neighbourhood despite its own obvious problems nor protest loudly when others carry out violence in India or provide unwanted lectures).
Rajapaksa of course will say what needs to be said. He wants good relations while India wants a master servant relationship, which he counters by playing the China card.
This message has been edited by LokkuBalla99 on Aug 25, 2009 8:21 AM
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By 1980 India had armed and trained around 20,000 Tamil militants, providing them with latest weapons and tactics (based on Indias own experience with Pakistan and China), fully financed them and set up the shipping network to bring in arms from South East Asia as well as providing them all the necessary contacts from the region.
In comparison the Sri Lanka Military of the time was made of roughly 8,000 men still using weapons and tactics from WWII and better known for its role as a parade ground force, the Navy had ships which belonged in museums while the Air Force didn't have any jet aircraft
so how come SL army became so strong that it cornered LTTE and its chief so badly that India had to intervene to rescue them.
and dont worry India has no plan to annex Srilanka or any sympathy for an org responsible for the murder of an Indian former PM.
SURRENDER OF PAKI ARMY IN 1971
1N 1971 A NEW HISTORY AS WELL AS A NEW NATION WAS CREATED BY WE THE INDIANS..
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Lokkuballa - You speak as if India was hell bent on annexing Sri Lanka through its support of the LTTE while you carefully seem to forget the fact that if India really wanted to take over Sri Lanka we would just have to blockade you for a month. Nothing goes in or out, you wouldn't even need Indian boots on the ground.
The LTTE were funded by India to some extent, more so by disgruntled Tamils. And their idea of an Eelam was correct in face of what they faced at the hands of the Sinhalese. So putting down the LTTE as an "Indian" entity is WRONG. The tamils are YOUR citizens, you are responsible for their actions, YOU caused them to rebel against you. No one can turn a happy population against the state by arming a few hundred people.
Understand again, If India wishes to "annex" Sri Lanka we would not even need the air force or the Army especially in the 80's. Losing a thousand soldiers to ensure that a political resolution came out was the folly of Indian strategic thinkers. They should have realised basket-cases for what they were earlier on and should have left the tamils and the Sinhalese to do their own thing like they've done this time around.
And NO pact is signed forcefully. SL was tilting towards the west, you could have asked for a UN peacekeeping force instead of the IPKF but it was YOUR president who approached Rajiv Gandhi to sign the accord.
Don't make it as if the dumb Indian first supported the LTTE, then came to kill them and then ran away. India might have a big brother attitude in the region, thats cause compared to you, we are giants, you have issues with that? Whoop de doo, you'll get put in your place by low-ranking officials like the "high commisioner" you so despise.
All India wants is for Sri Lanka to not be used as a base against it for offensive actions by third parties. That it has achieved, regardless of the deep sea port at Hambantota or a few Chinese F-6's flying around with the SLAAF.
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Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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Indian forces never captured Jaffna Town. Do not mix Jaffna town with the Peninsula. Jaffna town had been under the control of various Tamil groups since the late 70s until it was taken back by Sri Lankan forces in 1995.
Wrong. Multiple sources corraborate the fact that the IPKF indeed captured Jaffna city. Heres a PAKISTANI source.
After the failure of the commando assault, the infantry brigades slowly fought their way into Jaffna City over the next 16 days. Because of heavy Tamil resistance, two more brigades were rushed to Jaffna before the end of the battle. The entire operation was marked by major confusion on the part of the IPKF. 5 Para Bn., for example, was initially placed under the command of 18 Inf. Bde., then shifted to 72 Inf. Bde., then back to 18 Brigade: as a result, neither brigade was able to maximize the use of this battalion.
By the end of November, Jaffna was completely in IPKF hands.
When the LTTE and Prabakaran were corned in Vadarmaachchi during Operation Liberation in 1987 Rajiv Ghandi ordered the infamous air drop, transport planes swooped over head with Mirage fighter escorts to drop supplies, all the SL Military could do was watch the whole event on the radar. The message was clear and our Armed Forces we stopped in tracks when they were only a couple hundred metres away from Praba. Rajiv had Prabakaran air lifted to safety for tea and biscuits in a 5 star hotel in Chennai and had a one to one chat.
This my friend is horse crap. Operation poomalai consisted of AN-32's and Mirage aircraft, how could they airlift Pirabhakaran? And Poomalai was a humanitarian gesture to the civillians in Jaffna. If the SLA hadn't turned away the aid-bearing ships NO aircraft would have been used. Don't spin history to suit your own views.
helicopters were despatched via Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu to rescue the LTTE leader V. Prabakaran at Vadamarachchi on the northern tip of Jaffna after the Sri Lankan Army had cornered him in the late 80s."
This happened in the last week of JULY, the 23rd to be exact. A full month after Op Liberation was ceased. Prabhakaran flew down there to sign the Agreement. Thats what you do when you're brokering a peace deal, you get BOTH parties to sign it.
None of the above actions are cross border violations or any other thing. India did not arm the LTTE during Op poomalai, there were no arms air dropped, in fact there were foreign observers who were on board the AN-32's to ensure that India was not airdropping arms to the LTTE.
Again, take of those blinkers and understand what happened.
==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.
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\\Well victory does have a thousand fathers and defeat is always an orphan. If the outcome of the war was different this "hand" would defiantly remain hidden.\\
Irrespective of the "hand" being hidden or not, one thing which is pretty much sure is that had Srilanka lost the war and the LTTE won it, the same people who are now rejecting India's "hand" would be the first people to make India the scapegoat and see India's "hidden hand" everywhere.
So does Indian Govt.That is the whole point. India will always downplay its defense relationship with srilanka as long as the srilankan Sinhalese and the Srilankan Tamils patch up with each other and the issue loses its political steam in Tamil nadu. The Srilankan Govt will not admit that India helped them in crucial moments until the Indian Govt is comfortable with the world knowing it as it will put the Indian Govt in difficult positions with respect to Tamil politicians.
'Asked about the book by television journalist claiming that India offered M17 choppers to Sri Lankan army, Raju said "it must have been purely in self-defense and no more". He did not elaborate'.
\\SL got plenty of help with hardware and training from practically everywhere, India has blown hot and cold (Tamil Nadu factor playing into this as you said). The war was deemed "un-winnable" by the West and all the other big noise makers, top Indian generals towed this line as did the likes of B. Raman, all of whom were proved wrong in the end.\\
SL got hardware from everywhere after they kept India in the loop. India did make some hot and cold statements primarily during the electing period when the ruling coalition in New Delhi needed the support of Tamil parties, but it did not do anything on the ground which would impede SL's arms acquiring effort because the Srilankans had regular communications with Indians on their defense needs.
\\India's assistance was rather small when compared to what was received from other places, so India trying to be another father of the victory and claim a large sum of the credit is odd.\\
Where did is it anywhere mentioned that India is trying to be the father of the victory of LTTE ? If it is anything at all, the Indian Govt is distancing itself as much as it can from the revelations that it covertly supplied weapons to the Srilankan Govt forces. It was clear from the outset that from the moment the Indians withdrew support to the LTTE, the LTTE days were numbered. As far as Srilanka is concerned, India has always been the scapegoat both for the Sinhalese as well as the Srilankan Tamils. While the Sinhalese accuse the Indians of "Big brother attitude" towards the Sinhalese, the Srilankan Tamils in the same breadth accuse India of decimating the LTTE by covertly supporting the Srilankan Govt.
'Reports say India helped Sri Lanka to install radar stations in Anuradhapura, Vavuniyaa and Trincomalee apart from several other places in the south of Sri Lanka.'
'There are speculations that intelligence related to sea traffic is being supplied to Sri Lanka by India and this played a crucial role in the recent sinking of vessels alleged to be carrying arms for the LTTE'
'It is said that many such activities take place on the basis of secret protocols agreed between India and Sri Lanka in recent times. At present it is mostly operative at the officers level. Monthly meetings and briefings take place regularly between the officers of the two countries.
'Another noticeable development, in addition to the supply of improved marine and satellite intelligence, is the Indian interest in training Sri Lankan armed forces. Analysts say India has increased the number of officer-trainees from 900 which was agreed upon earlier, to 2,250 in the current year, despite public opposition in Tamil Nadu for any military assistance to Sri Lanka'.
\\Sri Lanka choosing to adopt independent policies and what were progressive national policies in the 70s which managed to "upset" India does not justify India's actions in destabilizing, exasperating and seeding violence in Sri Lanka or anywhere else (well it would if India did not possess and project a "holier than thou" attitude to the whole neighborhood despite its own obvious problems nor protest loudly when others carry out violence in India or provide unwanted lectures).\\
"Progressive national policies" does not equal allowing your country to be used as a base by outside powers against India. As the Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapakse himself admitted, the reason why Indian had to support the LTTE in the past is the threats of using the 'American card' against India by the Sri Lankan politicians at that time when India and America were not in good terms. India retaliated by using the 'LTTE card'. The security of India's southern flank depends on the security of Srilanka.Both are closely linked to each other. But the Srilankan politicians always used this interdependence as a weapon and bargaining chip against India by playing 'American card' (as in the past) or 'China card' (as they are trying to do now) whatever suited them.
\\Rajapaksa of course will say what needs to be said. He wants good relations while India wants a master servant relationship, which he counters by playing the China card.\\
To characterize India's relations with Srilank as Master-Servant relation is absurdity of the highest order. The Indians have told repeatedly they don't have neither territorial ambitions in Srilanka nor they have any interest in destabilizing Srilanka.The srilankans simply forget that it was they who first asked India to intervene in Srilanka and when India did intervene and forced a peace agreement between them and LTTE, the Sinhalese chauvinists like then president premadasa went to the extent of supplying weapons to LTTE to be used against India. And when India was on the verge of decimating LTTE, its was again then SL president premadasa who asked India to withdrew its forces.Srilanka was not India's war. And yet the Indians intervened because the civil war in Srilanka was used by all and sundry to get a foothold in srilanka which was against Indian interests.
This is the interview of Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who talks about How the former president Premadasa sabotaged IPKF.Even as far as 2008, he wants India to mediate which India has been consistantly refused after the "gratitiude" the Srilankans had shown to the IPKF.
Reporter : You can describe yourself as a hawk or a dove, but the fact is that this kind of a sustained military campaign has not been seen in the past. In fact its also a success because now LTTE has isolated itself to a corner.
President Rajapaksa : I have learnt from history, experience, because whenever I say there is a ceasefire, whenever they have had some breathing period, they have increased their fire power, trained their people, and started fighting after that. They were not genuine.
Reporter: So they have exploited the period of ceasefire.
President Rajapaksa : Yes.
Reporter: And you are not going to let it happen now.
President Rajapaksa : I wont. I dont think I will, because knowing what happened earlier, why should I do the same thing? If they hand over their arms to an independent party . . .
Reporter: Or a mediator. Like the Norwegians?
President Rajapaksa : Why not India?
Reporter : Are you serious?
President Rajapaksa : Yes.
Reporter : Would you rather that India mediate, or a really neutral country like Norway?
President Rajapaksa : I trust neighbours. Let them handle it if they want, if they are ready. But I dont mind if there is a group of SAARC countries. Ill prefer (that).
Reporter : Why are you shy of the Scandinavians? They are everybodys neutral these days.
President Rajapaksa : This is what everybody is talking about. This is the picture you see. I dont mind whether it is Norwegians, Japanese, or some other Scandinavian country. Its whether the people of our country will believe them or trust them.
Reporter: You think a bigger power will command a greater assurance?
President Rajapaksa : I think so, because sometimes the pressure that India can put on the LTTE . . . I think they know their mentality. Theyve been working with them for a long time.
Reporter: One way and the other. But can India do all this despite the Tamil politics?
President Rajapaksa : This is my problem, about which Im always thinking. I dont want to pressurise India or make any demands on it, because I know the difficulty, especially in a coalition government.
Reporter : Have you made progress in your talks with the Indian side?
President Rajapaksa : I think we have a very good relationship. They understand me and I think now they understand me better than earlier.
Reporter : Earlier, even they saw you as a hawk.
President Rajapaksa : I dont know. I wont say anything about it. But I think now they know who Mahinda Rajapaksa is and what I think.
Reporter : Did you see initially that there were areas where the Indian side needed to understand you better?
President Rajapaksa : I think some of our leaders who were close to India and who went there must have given a wrong picture about me. But when they understood me, it was very easy to negotiate and talk to them and they were very sympathetic.
Reporter : Have you asked (India) that whenever you are ready, I would like you to mediate?
President Rajapaksa : They never asked me.
Reporter : Have you asked them?
President Rajapaksa : We will prefer them.
Reporter : You will prefer India to mediate?
President Rajapaksa : This I said before I became a MP.
Reporter : But politicians say one thing when they are out of power and another when they are in power.
President Rajapaksa : When I was a minister and when I went to Dehradun, somebody asked me this question, and I said, Yes, why not! But western countries, and even India, prefer (that) a country like Norway (negotiate).
Reporter : Its interesting that you say so. But tell me one thing: would the public opinion in Sri Lanka accept an Indian role?
President Rajapaksa : I think so.
Reporter : After the IPKF experience? Is there no gratitude for what the IPKF did here?
President Rajapaksa : Thats past. We have to build a new relationship. There is a new trend in Sri Lanka. Most businessmen are investing in Sri Lanka. In the past, I will admit, we have not shown gratitude. But as soon as I came I ordered a monument to be built for them (IPKF) and I will see the work is completed before our Independence Day, February 4. Its under construction.
Reporter : Where is it being built?
President Rajapaksa : Near Parliament.
Reporter : You dont think this is an unpopular decision? Will Sri Lanka appreciate that?
President Rajapaksa : I dont think this will be an unpopular move. But the LTTE may not like it.
Reporter : So you are saying that the people of Sri Lanka should have some gratitude for what the IPKF did here?
President Rajapaksa : Certainly. They came here and sacrificed their lives.
Reporter : And many limbs. And what did they achieve for Sri Lanka that people at that point of time did not appreciate?
President Rajapaksa : That was a political campaign by Premadasa. If Premadasa had allowed IPKF to continue for another few months, they would have done something substantial.
Reporter : Finish the LTTE? Do you think they were that close.
President Rajapaksa : In a way, yes. They would have at least given the Sri Lankan army a better position.
Reporter : And Premadasa sabotaged it? He was a Sri Lankan patriot.
President Rajapaksa : The problem was that he wanted to become the president of this country and wanted the support of some of the extremists, some of the Left parties.
Reporter : Like the JVP then. And just for the cynical pursuit of presidency he did this?
President Rajapaksa : Yes.
Reporter : Because when I used to come here as a travelling reporter, people used to say that the Sri Lankan government used to supply weaponry to the LTTE and at the same time used to leak the movement of the Indian units to the LTTE.
President Rajapaksa : I dont want to comment on the (allegations of ) the Sri Lankan army supplying weapons or giving information about the (IPKF) troops. But that was an allegation by the opposition.
Reporter : No, not your opposition, but your own party people: Chandrika Kumaratunga once told me, he supplied weapons and later Lalith (Atulathmudali) went a step further and said these weapons were supplied to the LTTE by Premadasa in Tata trucks supplied (by India) to the Sri Lankan army.
President Rajapaksa : Quite right. But I dont want to comment on what he did because hes dead and gone.
'
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Let Noble Thoughts Come to Us from All Sides- RigVeda
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