DON'T MAKE THEM SITTING DUCKS !
The LTTE stands condemned for the dastardly attack on a group of unarmed sailors at a transit point at Habarana on Monday (OCt 16). It was an act of sheer desperation which is indicative of the outfit’s inability to meet the Navy at sea. The LTTE has lost several sea battles in a row during the past few months and its frustration that drove it to retaliate elsewhere is understandable.
"Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected," said Sun Tzu in his military treatise, The Art of War. The LTTE is doing just that like any other guerrilla movement. In dealing with the LTTE, the military must be prepared for surprises. The Navy has been alert enough to repulse two LTTE attempts to destroy troop carriers since last May. It dealt a heavy blow to the LTTE by sinking an arms ship a few weeks ago and by destroying a trawler transporting weapons and explosives on Sunday.
But, on Monday, the LTTE managed to wrong-foot the Navy. It has to be lucky only once, as is said of guerrilla movements. But, the Navy, having suffered a string of claymore mine attacks in the recent past, should have been better prepared. The transit point in question was an open area sans any defences. Little wonder that the LTTE was drawn to it.
That the sailors were on non combat duty was no reason for the Navy to wish away an LTTE bomb attack. The LTTE never differentiates between armed troops and unarmed troops. It has a track record of killing even infants, doesn’t it? The military, which calls the LTTE a terrorist organisation and treats it as such, cannot expect it to respect the rules of engagement. Not even soccer is being played according to rules these days. Remember Zidane’s notorious head-butt? The LTTE’s methods are unorthodox and rather innovative. So, those who battle it must learn to think like the Tigers and anticipate their moves. They must be on their guard all the time.
For an outfit which has assassinated a well protected Navy Commander (Clancy Fernando) while he was moving in a heavily guarded motorcade, killing a group of naval ratings waiting for buses in an open area is a child’s play. The Navy should have known better.
When we pointed out a security lapse following the LTTE’s abortive attempt to blast a Navy bus at Welisara some time ago the Navy took us to task claiming that we tried to demoralise the Navy. According to our information, the LTTE had taken cover in a vacant land in the area at night to plant a mine and we said no regular checks had been conducted in the area. In response to our news item, the Navy said that was not part of its job. Over the Habarana blast, too, we hear the same argument. The Navy is blaming the Police for the security lapse which led to the tragedy and vice versa. That is the situation after every disaster. There is no one to take the blame, mistakes don’t get rectified and disasters keep occurring.
Perhaps, the LTTE doesn’t need so much of planning to carry out a devastating attack. It is not short of opportunities to target anyone. Recently, we carried a picture of the cr`E8me de la cr`E8me of the defence authorities seated together at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ meeting in Colombo. Pictured were the Army Commander, the Navy Commander, the Air Force Commander, the Chief of Defence Staff and the IGP—all seated in one single row. Special security measures may have been adopted to protect them, but they were taking a tremendous risk vis-`E0-vis the desperation of the LTTE, which will balk at nothing in trying to achieve its goal.
The defence chiefs seem to have the proclivity for being together! When the former Minister of Defence Anuruddha Ratwatte’s chopper crash landed in an LTTE controlled area some years ago, he was in the company of some of the Defence top brass. The fate of the legendary General Kobbekaduwa and his colleague Gen. Wimalaratne, who died in a mine blast together is also a case in point. What takes the cake however is something that a former Army Commander once did in the theatre of war during an inspection tour. After visiting a bunker at an FDL in the North, tall and clad in uniform, he made bold to stick his head out over a takarang fence to have a look at the LTTE-held territory! That prompted Minister Ratwatte to tell him, "`85, be careful. They must be looking for you!" (Prabhakaran must have sacked the sniper who had been detailed to look for targets in that area for the dereliction of duty.)
Political leaders are no better. We had a President who tried to do a traffic policeman’s job at a busy intersection on a May Day, in spite of serious security threats. He paid for it with his life. Then we had another President who had a stroll across the Town Hall grounds up to her car after an election meeting at night, exposing herself to a suicide bomber in the process. She escaped death by the skin of her teeth. We had a Foreign Minister who, despite his brilliance, thought of having a swim in a pool under the stars. We lost him to an LTTE sniper. Today, we are told that the incumbent President is attending funerals of the slain troops in defiance of security advice. What’s wrong with Sri Lanka’s political leaders and defence top brass? If they take their own security for granted, how can they ensure the safety of the ordinary troops and the citizenry?
A country that doesn’t learn from its mistakes is doomed to relive them. It is hoped that the Defence bigwigs will draw lessons from Monday’s disaster and devise a strategy to protect those men and women serving the nation.
Don’t make them sitting ducks!
TI, 18.10.2006