சிறீலங்கா கடற்படைக்கு ஆயுதவிற்பனையில் பிரித்தானியா இஸ்ரேல் மும்மரம்

சிறீலங்கா கடற்படைக்கு ஆயுதவிற்பனையில் பிரித்தானியா இஸ்ரேல் மும்மரம்

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

By: Shamindra Ferdinando

Courtesy: 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).

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