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Sri Lankan military leaders allay fears of imminent war

V.S. Sambandan

Army commander says forces prepared for any eventuality

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan military leaders on Friday allayed fears of an imminent war with but said they were prepared for any threat.

In a joint press conference, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Daya Sandagiri, described the recent attacks in north-east Sri Lanka as those aimed at provoking the armed forces. "We have acted with restraint. We will not break the ceasefire agreement," he said.

The Commander of the Army, Sarath Fonseka, the Air Force Chief, Donald Perera and the Inspector General of Police, Chandra Fernando were the other service chiefs who participated in the press conference.

"It is basically a terrorist act," Admiral Sandagiri said, referring to the claymore attacks in Jaffna over the last week. He declined to describe them as acts of war. "It is an offensive act, not an act of war."

The CDS, a former Naval chief, said there was "no sizeable change" in the strength of the Sea Tigers. The overall balance of military forces, he said, remained in favour of the security forces. "There is no doubt about it; we have the supreme position," he said.

Asked if he saw the northern strikes leading to war between the Government and the LTTE, Admiral Sandagiri said: "I don't anticipate that situation. Terrorism does not mean leading to war."

The Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Fonseka said the Government forces were prepared for both conventional and unconventional warfare, depending on the situation. He saw the possibility of an unconventional war in the east, and a conventional one in the north.

The Air Force Chief, Air Marshall Perera said the LTTE's air capability was about two or three small aircraft. Their strike capability, he said, was restricted to something "similar to a car fitted with a bomb."

Tsunami relief

Meanwhile, a year after their homes were shattered by the December 2004 tsunami, a group of residents in Sri Lanka's southern Galle district broke into celebrations.

The elation by the beneficiaries of a housing scheme promoted by the ruling ally, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is also the story of the political and economic issues involved in post-tsunami reconstruction.

"We now have some hope," said Saman Wickreme de Silva, a beneficiary of the scheme about 80 km south of Colombo. Sayani Kusumalatha, who lost her father and an 8-year old son in the tsunami, has now moved into her new house with her husband and two surviving children. Her face radiates with happiness as she walks into her sparkling new house.

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