Sri Lanka denies radar system was deficient

[Contrarian]

Sri Lanka denies radar system was deficient

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: "We have never said so. Now I am saying, the report is wrong."

# Report mentions intelligence on LTTE capability
# It highlights alternative Chinese equipment

COLOMBO: After maintaining silence for over a day on a report that a radar system gifted by India had failed to detect the Tiger aircraft that targeted the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) base near Colombo on Monday, Sri Lanka on Thursday said the report was "wrong."

Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa was initially reluctant to answer a question on the banner-headline report in the Colombo-based English daily The Island, on the plea that investigations were in progress on the matter.

Asked why the Government was not ready to confirm or deny a report that suggested that Sri Lankan air space was not safe pending the installation of a new radar system, the Minister said: "We have never said so. Now I am saying, the report is wrong."

Quoting an unidentified defence official, The Island had said initial investigations revealed that the first-generation radar installed by India had failed to detect the incoming aircraft until the radar at the adjacent Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) identified them.

"The detection was made as the aircraft were about 3 km off the airbase," a senior defence official said. Had the SLAF radar spotted the intruders, the outcome of Monday's encounter would have been different, he said", the report said.

It said that before the detection by a BIA radar, the SLAF had received information through ground-based sources about LTTE aircraft crossing the northern line-of-control. But the intended target was not specified until the BIA radar picked up the enemy craft approaching the airbase.

The report said India had stepped in with an offer to establish a radar network after President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Government initiated talks with China to acquire a three-dimensional radar system. "Former Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao, currently New Delhi's top envoy, is believed to have initiated the move on behalf of her government as India had national security concerns," it said.

The report said Sri Lanka had sought Chinese help after obtaining credible information about the existence of the LTTE air wing. It had briefed the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus India in early 2005 of the growing threat posed by the LTTE air wing.

"In fact, a comprehensive dossier which included even a short footage obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the `LTTE assets' was made available to the big five — U.S., Russia, China, U.K. and France, and India," it said.

Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama confirmed during an interaction with Colombo-based foreign correspondents earlier in the week that these countries were taken into confidence in March 2005.

"Sri Lanka believes that [the] LTTE is in possession of a few aircraft, possibly Pilatus PC-7, Pilatus PC-21 and Zlin Z 143. The sources said that India was the first to receive the dossier on the LTTE attempts to build an air wing," the newspaper said.

An editorial comment on the subject in the Sinhala newspaper from the same media group said: "We strongly believe that India ceased donating good things to us 2500 years back. As far back as 2500 years we had received the best thing from India: that was Buddhism. Then we received artistic talent, craftsmanship and Indian culture. But thereafter what we received directly and indirectly from India had been awful."

The newspaper said Sri Lanka badly needed a new-generation radar system and the country even felt specifically that it should be a modern three-dimensional unit. It added that China was producing such radar units at a reasonable cost and Sri Lanka was interested in purchasing one from China.

"But India, who has a cold war with China, did not like the move and India handed over one unit of radar saying that if Sri Lanka buys one from China, there is a possibility of the war secrets in the region being leaked out."

Interestingly, even after the Minister clarified that the report in The Island was "wrong," the newspaper followed it up with another editorial on Friday questioning the Government's decision to install a hotline for the public to convey information on the sighting of any suspicious object in the sky.

The newspaper wrote: "The biggest problem is [the] absence of [a] sophisticated radar to detect intruding aircraft. The government is wary of going for the best equipment from China — a 3-D radar system — because India perceives it as a threat of sorts... How can the SLAF win a derby with a donkey?"

It added: "Successive governments have deprived the people of many things because of the war. The only solace available to the people today is a good night's sleep, mostly on empty stomachs. It looks as though the Government is going to rob them [of] that comfort as well by urging them to function as human radars at night."
http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/31/stories/2007033106071200.htm

 

[Contrarian]

Apparently this was one the cruicial posts of mine which got deleted LOL.

Anyway, i wanted to turn this into a strategic discussion about Sri Lanka.
Why does India not intervene properly in SL? I mean i know LTTE are essentially our people, they are tamils, but unless we do something, China will step in, as it is already trying to. Shouldnt we just give lots of defensive equipment to SL? Like radars, etc, etc, etc.?

If we dont act on time, we'd find soem successive govt years later starting a 'look south' policy to give focus on SL as we missed when we had the chance, like we are doing now with Myanmar, etc, etc with the 'look east' policy.

Awaiting reply's

 

[zeus]

we have provided them with Igla portable man held sam ,most of the srilankan air force MIG-27 pilots and aircrew have been trained in india ,they wanted us to provide them some MIG-27 for free which indian government denied and now they have a big list of free item which they want from us if we say no they will take their wish list to china ,which is much eager to provide free stuffs to them ,srilankan newspaper are simply making noise when indian radar provided was for free and indian air force is still ordering them ,it is not radar fault its their operational problem which they are facing

 

[Contrarian]

Navy ship joins patrolling team at Rameswaram

C. Jaishankar

"No progress in identifying those who attacked Indian fishermen recently"



ADDING MUSCLE: The Naval ship patrolling the coast off Rameswaram.

RAMANATHAPURAM: One more ship of the Navy, Indian Naval Seaward Defence Boat-T. 56, has arrived at the Rameswaram coast, to boost security in the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, following attacks on Indian fishermen and the recent developments in Sri Lanka.

The indigenously built ship has about 60 personnel on board, including a Commandant and a Deputy Commandant. It has two high calibre guns and sophisticated radars and will help in tracking down objects several nautical miles away. It could be handy for monitoring movements at night also.

Now, three ships of the Navy and the Coast Guard are patrolling along the International Maritime Boundary Line, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait and the Palk Bay.

The aim

Commodore Phillip Van Haltren, Naval Officer in-charge, Tamil Nadu, told The Hindu on Monday that the aim of increasing the number of ships deployed was not only to intensify patrolling but also detect "miscreants" or "suspected members of a group," who unleashed violence on Indian fishermen recently.

"We are very concerned about the attack on fishermen. `Unidentified persons' beat up some fishermen on March 25 and a few fishermen of Kanyakumari were killed in another incident. We are on the job to track down the perpetuators of the crime," said Commodore Haltren.

He said so far no progress had been made in establishing the identity of those who attacked fishermen and the boat used. Aircraft of Navy and Coast Guard conducted intensive search over the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait for the last few days. Naval aircraft would intensify aerial patrol.

Commander S. Mukherji, Area Commander, South, said the entire stretch of IMBL had been brought under vigil. Necessary logistics support to the ships had been provided to ensure round-the-clock patrolling. Naval personnel had been instructed to conduct thorough check of suspected vessels.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/03/stories/2007040309790400.htm