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உற்றார் உலகத்தவர் - ஒளவையார்: நல்வழி

UK backed Israeli deal to enhance Lanka’s firepower - Presidential probe on shady arms transactions

By: Shamindra Ferdinando

Source: The Island - December 13, 2006

The controversy over the alleged irregularities in a multi-million US dollar deal, to upgrade the firepower of Fast Attack Craft (FACs), has taken a shocking turn with the revelation that the British Government assured Sri Lanka that the transaction was above board.Britain also offered the Sri Lankan government an opportunity to inspect the 30 mm KCB cannons at a US government bonded store in St. Louis.

The British High Commission made representations on behalf of the British supplier S.G.E. Limited to facilitate the deal worked out by Rafael Armament and Development Authority Limited of Israel. The UK based supplier specialises in the supply of naval equipment, tools and services.

Rafael won the contract worth US $ 10.8 million in December 2003 to upgrade 15 FACs. The Israeli and the British firms, according to documents submitted to the Tilakawardena Committee, had worked closely for two years on this particular deal.

In an unprecedented move both the supplier and the British High Commission made representations to the three-member Presidential Commission headed by Justice Shiranee Tilakawardane. They challenged the cancellation of the order on the basis that the S.G.E. Limited and Rafael planned to supply 20-year-old guns discarded by the Royal Navy. The British emphasised that the guns manufactured in 1985 and kept at St. Louis were new. The British assured that none of the guns had been used or refurbished while reiterating that the long-term storage of the KCB material had been done according to internationally accepted standards.

President Mahinda Rajapakse appointed the committee to investigate shady transactions in the armed forces. The committee recently handed over its interim report which exclusively dealt with the SLN to Rajapakse.

An authoritative British High Commission spokesperson yesterday confirmed the action taken by the mission to facilitate the deal. The former British High Commissioner Stephen Evans had apprised Defence Secretary Colonel (retd) Gotabhaya Rajapakse early this year of the transaction. The British offered to arrange an expert to inspect the guns at St. Louis or sent a complete 30mm KCB cannon set to Colombo at no cost to Sri Lanka.

The SLN initiated an ambitious project in 2001 to upgrade the firepower of its FACs. The cutting edge of the SLN is its FAC squadrons based in Trincomalee. The SLN planned to replace the existing 23 mm cannons with 30mm. The Island learns that the project did not materialise due to a variety of reasons, particularly the differences among the UNF bigwigs over the deal with some of them resolutely calling for the acquisition of US built Bush Master Cannon (MK 44).

The recent confrontations between the SLN and Sea Tigers indicated that the enemy may have acquired a weapon superior to the 23mm now in service with the SLN. SLN lost six FACs this year. Of them four had been hit during engagements. Despite losses the SLN has inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and keep sea supply routes to the Jaffna peninsula intact.

If the government accepted the British offer and verified their claim then Rafael could have finalised the deal. Upgrading of the FACs would have given a tremendous advantage to the SLN over Sea Tigers. The FACs are equipped with Israeli-built Typhoon Weapon Stations.

The British Government also assured Sri Lanka that the 30mm cannon and its ammunition remain in production. The British reiterated their faith in the weapon by revealing that over five dozen units would remain in service and that the same weapon had been chosen for deployment with a new destroyer scheduled to join the British naval forces in about three years. Although two dozen units are to be replaced, the British navy would continue with the system deployed on the remaining vessels. According to Jane’s Defence Weekly the new frigate -HMS Daring is ‘the most powerful destroyer ever built by the Royal Navy’ and ‘the backbone of the fleet for the next 40 years."

The last two contracts for 30mm KCB cannon had been to a Middle Eastern customer in 2002 and a Far Eastern country last year.

The British High Commission said that Sri Lanka cancelled the deal after the Government approved the sale. According to the British over 250 units of 30 mm KCB are in service in many parts of the world. The production of cannon takes almost one and half years.

Former Navy Chief and Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri gave the go ahead for the Rafael deal on the recommendation of a three-member committee chaired by the then Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema. The recently retired Vice Admiral Sarath Weerasekara had been also on the committee. The Presidential Commission summoned both officers along with Sandagiri.

The British indicated that they would appreciate if the Tilakawardena committee recommended the inspection of the cannon in the US or bringing down a complete set to Colombo for the same purpose.

The Island learns that S.G.E. Limited offered to supply the cannon directly to Sri Lanka after the cancellation of the original order with Rafael.