Salawa Incident – Tuesday morning analysis is worse than Monday’s!

I refrained from reporting and blaming in my yesterday’s entry, as I was not privy to much of the information of after the fact events until now. So I only suggested that in 2016 in the Western Province and Megapolis, we should do away with the camp altogether, and instead have a world class dairy, which doubles as a training school for our dairy farmers, so that some GOOD will come of this whole incident to improve the nutrition of all including the brain power of those joining the forces from now on, as brain is now more important than brawn in the forces today.

Let me first say unequivocally that the authorities did a sterling job in evacuating the people as far away as possible, as quickly as possible, so that they managed to reduce deaths to one soldier. NO DEBATING THAT AT ALL.

I am informed that this was the fourth or fifth explosion of stored ordinance at a repository since the end of hostilities, and this was probably the worst, due to the type of ordinance stored and the rumor mill is rife as to what exactly they had there, like were they arms captured, were there chemical weapons, etc.

Now it is 7 years since the end of hostilities, and MR govt was there in 5 and RW government in 2 so proportionate responsibility must be accepted, and so we should stop the blame game and get on with the brain game.

Ironically, as I have noted in the past few blog entries, I have serious questions over the capability of our Senior Officers of the Tri Forces to behave in their peacetime role. I don’t believe they realize that roles differ markedly, with diplomacy and commonsense being at the head, and discipline, following orders, battlefield strategy in defeating he enemy being less important.

They are still driving around in convoys, when one security officer is quite sufficient for all top brass, and I will grant the Commanders an additional vehicle, in case his breaks down so he can attend important meetings without delay.

I gather there was a Security Council meeting yesterday, and I bet the discussion DID NOT contain any of preventative measures at other AMMO DUMPS. Was a list of ALL dumps presented? Was the AMMO in those dumps quantified, Was the civilian population number within 5 KM of the dump presented? Was a strategy document given on transferring AMMO out of high civilian population areas, and its time line? Was the President, the Commander in chief’s signature obtained to transfer AMMO out of high civilian areas ASAP?

I can assure the reader that none of that was done. Why? We don’t have a brains trust in the FORCES or MOD we just have a Brawns Trust in the Forces, and Mental Retards at the MOD, looking at ways to make a buck (Mrs Jayaratne who fled the Country is an example of a traitor there) so you have a soup that is incendiary and a threat to the Nation, NOT A VIGILANT FORCE TO DEFEND THE NATION.

It is time for strategic thinking of how we spend the Rs350B allocated to Defence. First we must release Rs100B direct to the state to reduce its debt burden and secondly we should release 50,000 soldiers to lend to Construction sites, for a FEE, as we are about to import labor from Vietnam to build our Projects.

Then we should sell of the Tri Forces HQ being built at enormous cost to the Commercial Sector for Megapolis and only have Panagoda in all of the Western Province for security. One can move HQs out. Army to Polonnaruwa, Navy to Trincomalee, and Air Force to Kilinochchi.

Commanders should not occupy Billion Rupee homes on Bullers Road. They don’t achieve anything except status.

Our primary defence MUST be the Navy, and the Airforce with a Naval Air Arm, to defend our seas that amount to 100 times our land area. So beefing up the Navy with sophisticated technology and technical stars must be the aim. We must have access to satellites so we can pick up any boat that is trespassing in our waters. In that way ALL our external defence can be secured.

Unless such discussions are done in Security Council meetings, instead of wasting time on each and every arms find in a well in the North, we don’t have any hope that our leaders know what they are on about.

It is CLEAR that the forces KNEW they were sitting on explosive ordnance that can catch fire easily, the risk of civilian casualty minimization had not been implemented in the strategic plan.

Ironically the LEADER of the Joint Opposition, Dinesh Gunewardena lives a stone’s throw from the Camp, over the fence in actual fact. His family members also live there. Mercifully his house was NOT damaged, if it was, he would claim that there was as conspiracy to Kill him! Who would even want to attempt that? He is committing suicide with his own actions! 

It was further shown last night on TV, that MR on returning from Welikada after telling his co conspirator, Anura Senanayake, that he will be freed within three months, due to lack of prosecutable evidence, had the cheek to say, that HIS GOVT had plans to move the AMMO out of SALAWA! What a lowdown betrayal of someone who should be supporting the Forces in their dire hour of need. TRAITOR.