Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

France became the first NATO member in history to sell offensive arms to Russia, agreeing on the sale of a Mistral class amphibious assault ship worth around 500 million euros. In addition, and despite concerns expressed by its American and eastern European allies, France is considering selling three more ships to Russia, as stated by Jacques de Lajugie, head of international sales at the French defence ministry.

The 23,000 tonne Mistral class ship will significantly boost the strength of Russia s ageing fleet. The amphibious assault ship, which can be used as a command vessel, can carry sixteen attack helicopters, 70 vehicles including thirteen battle tanks, and up to 900 troops for thousands of miles.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who was visiting Paris yesterday, said he was deeply concerned . Six American senators, including John McCain, had already sent a letter to the French ambassador in Washington asking him to stop the sale. Other NATO members are also uneasy about the deal, concerned by the prospect of increasing Russia s force projection capabilities in the aftermath of its crushing victory over the Georgian military in 2008.

An Indian scientist has claimed that this country s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) programme is more sophisticated than China s.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Director Dr VK Saraswat said on Wednesday night that India's anti-ballistic missile defence programme is ahead of China's programme. The country is gearing to test its indigenous BMD shield in near future.

'This is one area where we are senior to China,' he said when asked to compare the Indian BMD programme with that of China, which carried out its first test-firing on January 14.

He said the Indian programme had started in 2006 and had 60-70 per cent indigenous content in it.

Dr Saraswat said Indian BMD development programme would have two phases. 'In the first phase, which goes upto 2,000 km range, we will carry out exo-atmospheric, endo-atmospheric and high-altitude interceptions and in the second phase, we will take care of targets beyond 5,000 km range,' he explained.

He expected the test of the BMD shield to be carried out within this month.

He was talking to reporters here on the recent test firing of Agni-III missile, which has strike range of 3500 k.m and is now ready for induction in the armed forces.

India has completed the propulsion system design of its new cruise missile Nirbhay which will have a strike range of 800 kms, Dr Saraswat said.

'The development of the system is on. We have completed the propulsion system s design. But we have not integrated it. Once we reach the integration stage, we will show it you,' he told reporters.

Dr Saraswat said the missile is a technology demonstrator.

India already has in its arsenal BrahMos , a 300-k.m. range cruise missile developed in collaboration with Russia. It has various versions for use by all the three wings of the armed forces.

Dr Saraswat announced that Sunday's test of the Agni- III missile will clear the decks for the induction of the missile into the services.

The test, carried out by Strategic Forces Command, sets the stage for the induction of nuclear-tipped missile.

China had only one missile in the 2500-km category, the DF-21, and is now focused only on building intercontinental range missiles (ICBMs) of the DF-31 and DF-41 in the 6000- 10,000 km range.

'But our accuracies are better than the Chinese missiles,' Dr Saraswat claimed.

China, in January 2007, had displayed its anti-ballistic missile capabilities while knocking out a disused satellite in space. This was the world's first declared A-SAT test.

Earlier in January, the Chinese declared that they had successfully tested a ground-based mid-range anti ballistic missile.

'China only had the building blocks for an ATBM,' Dr Saraswat maintained.

'We started our ATBM programme in 1999 and in terms of capabilities, we are way ahead of them,' he added.

Dr.Saraswat said India had perfected the building blocks for an A-SAT weapon but there were no plans to field any such system.

The five-man crew of the aircraft carrying weapons from North Korea to Ukraine via Sri Lanka have been deported to their home countries on Friday after Thailand's Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) dropped all charges against them on Thursday.

The crew pilot Mikhail Petukjou, 54 from Belarus and Alexandr Zrybnev, 53, Viktor Abdullayev, 58, Vitaliy Shumkov, 54, and Ilyas Issakov, 53, all from Kazakhstan have been deported to their respective countries.

All of them were taken from the Bangkok Remand Prison to the Immigration Bureau pending for deportation procedures.

Their passports had been stamped 'persona non grata' showing that they could endanger the country's security.

They were then transfered to Suvarnabhumi Airport and departed Thailand via Kazakhstan's Air Astana at 5.45 pm.

The Thai Immigration officials accompanied them on the flight to Astana to hand over the crew to Kazakhstani and Belarussian officials as requested by the two countries.

OAG Special Cases Division director-general Thanapit Moonlapruek on Thursday said the agency dropped all charges against the crew as prosecuting them was not in Thailand's national interest, and would negatively affect the good relations existing between Thailand, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

He said the OAG concluded that the arms found in the plane were not intended for use in Thailand as they had landed in Bangkok only to refuel before continuing to their intended destination. In addition, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution Number 1874 (2009) did not stipulate any legal action to be taken against the crew.

Moreover, the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan had submitted letters through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting the temporary release of the crew to face investigation in their home countries.

Their Russian-made plane refuelled at Don Mueang airport on December 12 enroute from North Korea to Ukraine, via Sri Lanka.

After searching, the Thai authorities found that new, ready-to-use military weapons including explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, components for surface-to-air missiles and other armaments totally weighing some 35 tonnes, were carried on the aircraft.

The five men were arrested and charged with carrying military weapons without permission, illegally bringing them to Thailand and failing to inform officials of their items.

First charged with illegal arms possession, the crew denied knowing anything about what they were carrying. They said they thought it was oil exploration gear rather that the anti-aircraft 'SAM' surface-to-air missile parts, shoulder-launched anti-tank RPG grenades, and other explosives rather that oil-drilling equipment.

The shipment breached the UN Security Council resolution which bans North Korea from exporting arms and weapons-related material.

The Thai government has informed the United Nations over the impounded weapons.

Presidents of Russia, Sri Lanka agree on oil prospecting and arms.

Sri Lanka is becoming one of Russia's priority South Asian partners, although the island nation has long been far from the focus of Russia's economic interests in the region.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed a cooperative development effort in offshore oil and gas projects to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Sources close to the talks said the two countries signed a $300 million loan agreement. Russia will loan the money to Sri Lanka to buy Russian military equipment.

According to the Sri Lankan government, there are eight oil and gas blocks in the Mannar basin off the northwestern coast. Until recently, the region was controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist terrorist group that sought an independent state in northern areas in Sri Lanka inhabited by ethnic Tamils the LTTE was defeated in May 2009.

Sri Lankan oil and gas fields have never been explored. The island's energy sector mainly involves biomass fuel production, which accounts for 48% of local consumption. Imported oil accounts for 44%.

Russia's energy giant Gazprom will take part in oil prospecting and later in the development of Sri Lankan oil. President Rajapaksa, who is on a state visit to Moscow, held discussions on Monday with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller at the company's headquarters. No details of the agreements they reached have been disclosed.

The $300 million loan agreement signed during Rajapaksa's visit was a real breakthrough in the two countries' relations. Sri Lanka will draw the money over five years and repay it in ten years. The purpose of the loan is to buy armaments and dual-purpose technology for Sri Lanka's military, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Dmitry Pankin said.



'The Sri Lankan military obviously wants to use the money to meet their equipment needs, as their Army was significantly battered while fighting the Tamil insurgents,' said Mikhail Barabanov, editor-in-chief of Moscow Defense Brief, suggesting Sri Lanka needs a strong army in the event of another Tamil insurgence.

Noel Lokuge is living in Oz.he was flying for Air Ceylon for some time and migrated. He is a distinguished member of the Martin Baker club, which the membership consists of all who ejected (and survived obviously!) with a MB ejection seat.

Not only the Jet Provost was the first jet of the SLAF, it was the first aircraft to drop bombs in anger. SLAF carried out 4 bombing sorties against the JVP insurgents in 1971 on a location close to Kegalle and Medawachchiya using the Jet Provost and was the last of its type to do a operational sortie. Apart from the example that s at Viharamaha devi park, there was a one in immaculately good condition with the SLAF APSU in Ratmalana, but during the mid 1990s it was left out for the rats to work on and the rats did a good job in chewing out its engine parts, avionics, wiring and interior.

Second ejection in SLAF was again off Negambo lagoon, this time with a Flt.Lt (not sure the name-still serving) who had to do a ejection when his Kfir C2 had a engine blowout during early 1990s. Again, like Noel he was fished out by the fisherman for the area but I m not sure of if it was the son of the guy who pulled out Noel Lokuge!

Third ejection was me!

Tinker