posted February 13, 2005 03:55 PM         

From an ex-lieutenant ( "a rare commodity", thanks to your "professional" brilliance)

Dear Sir,

I am not claiming to be an Ex-Serviceman as I did not join the army only to play squash, wear a full suit in the evening and go to the officer's mess to have drinks. I could do those things even as a civilian.

I did join the fighting units to fight for my country and save "not only my people", but also "ALL Sri Lankans" from injustice and evil. When the Tamil tigers ethnically cleansed the north and the east, and when there was a very clear indication of a long-term conspiracy to eradicate and humiliate what I represent, then it was my duty to go.

Our families, as Sinhalese Buddhists, have always stood up to protect the multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural Sri Lanka, for over 25 centuries. We, the general public, have always been patient, friendly, understanding and accommodating. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the selfish,

1. Ethnic ( for ex. the Eelamists and Muslim extremists who thinks that they should own land exclusive to them),

2. Religious ( Christian extremists who despise Buddhists culture & refuse to honour/understand the Sinhalese heritage of this country, and Muslims who think only of themselves ),
or,

3. Social & Community groups (British created the "kalu sudda" class. They were an unbelievably selfish, arrogant social class to whom the British handed over the power in 1948. Then, they in turn, created a henchmen class under them. The henchmen class were the ones who groomed under them, serving them faithfully without questioning their incompetency or the wrong-doings. In return they got the opportunity to climb up the social ladder, the same way KaluSuddas were able to climb up the social ladder by serving the British invaders. Today Sri Lanka’s social elite, Upper middle class and middle class are full of them. Both these social groups are responsible for the political, social and security disaster that has befallen all of us. And then there were the Marxists whose leaders capitalized on the problems of the rest of the patriotic Sinhalese.)
They all have been unfair to all Sri Lankans by pursuing their selfish interests.
It was not fair for a group of selfish, power-hungry people who claim that they represent one ethnic community or one religion, or one social class, to claim exclusive sphere of control with gross disregard and disrespect to others.

You, as well as the readers, will be surprised to hear what I have to say. You will probably "not understand" a lot of things that I'm saying here. But if you can remember them for another few years when independent, suitable and capable individuals or organizations are able to hold post-mortems to investigate such a tragic disaster, you'll realise that the young men who were there, were speaking of these things long before they took place. And obviously, no one was prepared to listen.
If you read the article sent in by the ex-serviceman, then you'll see how the generals see this issue.

------ Lt.Gen.Dennis Perera 's reply to the ex-serviceman's article--------

------------with this lieutenant's remarks within brackets-------------

" Some comments on 'ex serviceman's' article on agni khiela (rod of fire)
by Lt. Gen. Dennis perera ( retired commander of the sri lankan army )

About a week ago you published in your editorial page an article pertaining to the set back to the army on operation "agni khiela " by someone calling himself an exserviceman. I put it away after reading it once.

( Yes sir, just like the ignorant way you all put away the casualty figures of the week, because it was not your sons that are on the list.

For you all it was just a list of killed in action, Wounded in action, and missing in action. But for us who joined not for a job, but to serve in this hour of need at the expense of our higher education and personal development, and our families, it was the beginning of the end.

Our whole worlds fell apart. True, there are so many Govt and private schemes to help war heroes. There are so many so-called war heroes now. Only we know how many wrong people, with so many intentions, were in the wrong jobs within the armed forces. But we, whose sole interest was to give the same "game" back to the enemy. ( that means innovative strategic, and tactical warfare developed from the scratch and executed with efficiency and with the "least wastage".). We do not want to be treated like beggars or to be at the mercy of the rest of the Sri Lankans who did not want to, or who did not have the guts, or who did not want to make the sacrifice, to go to the war. We have immense pride, for what we did, within us. We believe that the rest of the Sri Lankans have an obligation, which cannot be measured in words or deeds, to treat us with respect and dignity we deserve.

Where are the adventurous and the brave children of the Sri Lanka's upper and rich classes? How come they do not have the balls, or cant afford to spare at least 2 years as a volunteer, to serve in the jungles ? If their families do not want to lose them, whose war is it then ?) but after I had some calls asking for my views on it, ( When will the Sri Lankans learn that it is time to stop entertaining views that only made the enemy stronger and stronger. ask the young men who are there, ,if you can find one who is alive, if you want to know about the war. they know it well, first hand. The generals, while enjoying the benefits of the defence budget, have lost themselves amidst all the unsuitable crap they learn in the western military academies. Added to that as a bonus, is some misleading intelligence that the enemy deliberately passes on to thrill the Colombo cowboys who always love to underestimate or to be blind to the threat. Not only the Colombo cowboys were always at least one step behind the enemy, the enemy, using the cunning and invisible social and political strategies, used Colombo cowboys to their own advantage. This truth never come out as no Colombo cowboy is clean enough to point the finger at another in public. )
I re-read it and I decided to write to you to point out my views on some of the issues raised by him.

(It takes someone to question you to read it again, sir , shows the amount of "personal interest" that you lot ever had in this subject. to you all it was just a job. but sir, to the enemy commanders, who will one day become the officers of the Eelam defence force, it is not a job, it is a responsibility of a life-time.
Unlike you all who still live as if you have done nothing wrong to the country, they are held responsible, and accountable for the results of their decisions. Like you all, they don't have the funds squeezed out of a whole nation, to play with. Literally, I mean play with, because it is appalling to see how you all senior officers have got away scot-free after so much disasters and waste. This is in addition to, how well off you and your families are now, whereas the real heroes and their families are in permanent darkness.
It is a darkness that cannot be lightened up by no amount of money or hollow "rana viru" respect. Only the poor people genuinely practice the “ranaviru respect”. The rich and the powerful upper classes do not even seem to remember that the responsibility to protect and advance the country and the countrymen, is their responsibility. They don't have feelings for the hero culture and do not know that it is their responsibility to genuinely develop feelings for the heroes, by example. They respect only the money, the power, and false social values instilled by the Europeans. They care only about their children. They MUST realise that the war veterans are not a CHARITY. Any soldier who steps into the tiger-held territory from the relative safety of the bunkers in the liberated areas, without having thousands of troops with him, without the air power and Heavy firepower dedicated to help him within seconds, is THE LIVING GOD. ( If you don’t agree, try it yourself and see what I mean !)

Can the rest of the Sri Lankans go to that land of horror to face the Tamil tiger military wing? May be they should. Only then they will realise that there is no one greater than those heroic young men.

For the real heroes and their families, trapped in social and mental turmoil, the only way out is to commit suicide and be born again so that they can start life fresh.)
I have no comment to make on the operation itself; because I must admit that I am as clueless about it

( My dear sir, all you senior officers were always clueless, yesterday, are today, and will be tomorrow too. it is purely because you lack that personal interest in the subject. That is why you fail to see what is not seen. That is how your whole social class failed in your duties whether as a politician, or a public official or a social leader or as a General.

See sir, how many of you are personally interested in this subject of the innovative art of warfare. What do you absorb when you watch films like "platoon", and "apocalypse now"?

How eager are you all to read and study the special ops of the French "gign", German "gsg-9" etc and wonder how we could do the same? What do you understand and realise when you read sun tzu's 'the art of warfare' ? (" boring " or "what the hell is that writer, who lived 2500 years ago, talking about ?")

How much knowledge do you have on the details of the Vietnam War, the mother of all wars like ours ? How much do you all love your country and it's people ? How much proud are you all, apart from your selfish pointless pride about your family, about who you are ? Is your “family pride” able to fight the Tamil Tigers ? Do you consider the money and wealth more important than the peace, happiness, pride and the principles of life and that of your country ? See sir that is the ONLY difference between us, and the enemy. It is that difference that has enabled otherwise a weaker enemy to make us weaker , and weaker. Very soon we will find ourselves so weak that we will not be able justify doing this war any further.

Unless all the nonsense in our society is cleaned up, paving the way for the born-talented and the passionate individuals with the personal interest, to take charge of suitable jobs, irrespective of their class, cast, race, religious beliefs, we will continue to have clueless, shortsighted officials who will continue to sit on volcanos with their neverending line of excuses.

Most of you all, not only you senior officers sir, many public officials and politicians, are a bunch of clowns,( a set of clowns with paper qualifications that you've got no idea of how best to be applied to suit the local environment), who are going to end up giving the whole circus away.

Would you give a rat's ass ? no, because you have your children settling in overseas. You did not have a genuine love for your country or your people. You only loved your family. With the wealth that you have made on the side, you are set for life. It is the masses who will continue to pay for your mistakes, incompetence, treachery and selfishness. It is no one else but you, who had the power and the authority, who is responsible for the creation of the Tamil tigers, and all the other socio-economic and political decline of my people. ) as the ex-serviceman seems to be. I cannot understand how anyone who does not know the operational plan, the directives given, the logistical pattern, the movements
( Dear sir, you make these sound so heavy and complicated, which is why we have so many men, who still enjoys all the benefits of the defence budget with you, tied down to do these non-combat duties. dear sir, do you know how efficient the system the enemy has designed to do the same on their part? they didn't learn those at overseas military academies sir, they applied common sense and let those who can, and capable take charge of relevant tasks. they also made sure that there is an acceptable strong philosophy in existence so that the genuine patriotism is recognized and has it’s way without any hindrances from own side. ) the tactics (not strategy as some are often confused between strategy and tactics) etc., can comment on the operation

( Dear sir, all Eelamists living across the planet knows exactly how our very strong army, the pride of the whole nation, was humiliated and has been reduced to a state where it will be a miracle to regain what's been lost again. This is in addition to the number of excellent young men who were wasted in the name of waging war. The enemy achieved this not because they are stronger than the army. The Enemy, who was weaker than us in all aspects, except in providing opportunity to the duly talented and in the social strategies, achieved this solely by developing innovative tactics over the years in response to whatever the way the governments responded. How did they manage that ? Because they have the duly talented genuine people in the right places! They have made their exploits known to the world media who thinks that all Sri Lankans are a bunch of incapable mutts like you all),except to say it was not successful in the end. it is like losing a cricket match ( while playing war from safe operation rooms in big base camps, this war may be a cricket match for you sir, but not for us, because our families depended on us. we were the best sons our parents, and sometimes the whole village, had. and our family members paid for your ignorance and selfishness with eternal darkness over our lives.)and not knowing why it was lost unless one watched it either live or on TV. or read a complete report on it.
( well, how about walking yourself with us sir ? or if you are suddenly so unfit why not send your son ? he will be able to explain what it is like out there now. after all, you didn't want to hear it from us ! )
the general public is dependent on what defence correspondents report - one wonders how reliable their informants are
( Dear sir, the enemy passes on both the facts and the lies to the media thanks to your clueless ness, while you, thanks to your world-class strategies, couldn't even figure out what actually happened for 48 hours. All you do is waiting with your fingers crossed hoping that at least some young men, whom you have deployed in those strategically hopeless death traps, will cause as much damage as possible to the enemy while they get surrounded and massacred. The enemy has combat video cameramen at the thick of firefights filming them ( and many of them get killed too !). Unlike ours, whose copycat efforts to imitate whatever the tigers do, captures senior officers walking in the rear, these tiger videotapes are useful to the tigers in very effective training and strategic, tactical planning. Their battle controlling is far superior to us, including the withdrawal they make. Their leaders know exactly how many combatants, including ours, became casualties and exactly how things happened. They are in control of the situations 99% of the times. You all sir, with your "remote control and safe-ass" war leadership, sometimes take weeks to really figure out what happened, and months to understand how it happened. You sir, do not even know what happened to some of your soldiers for years, and in over 7000 cases, will never know what happened to your own soldiers. This is why sir you've got so many angry, frustrated, confused young deserters who have lost faith in all the political, social, and military leaders in the country, roaming the south today.)because on a Sunday when one reads the four English newspapers on happenings in the north east conflict and related matters one is left confused and the electronic media makes confusion worse confounded! this situation will prevail as long as there is media censorship on news from the battlefront.( Exactly how your reputation survived this entire time sir, because if the people found out what we had to say, you will have to walk without your pants in the streets.)I therefore cannot make any comment on the operation per ex serviceman has made the preposterous suggestion that subordinate officers be permitted to meet the head of state or commander-in-chief without the service chief being present.

( What a dangerous idea, isn't it sir? what if a talented ordinary soldier ( as called in a western country), or "a godey koluwa" ( as you call us) goes directly to the president and says that social, political, and military changes "must" be implemented to stop the disaster from happening. It is just a matter of time before the unbelievable disaster happens. We are only buying time because govt, who has the whole strength of the country at it's disposal, is able to throw more resources than what the tigers could throw into the war. In fact it is about twenty times than what the tigers throw in to the war. But Sri Lanka cant afford to play this game for too long, because it's a third world country. What that ex-serviceman probably suggested was a no-nonsense consultation between the supreme president and the real heroes who can understand both this war and the social, political aspects of this war. It is not the friendly consultations,( where you offered fairy tales that bought the government only the time), that you all public officials practised to obtain promotions sir!)this pernicious practice has been surreptitiously in vogue for sometime where officers creep through the back-door to meet influential politicians.

( I'm sure that you have practised too sir, otherwise you wouldn't have a chance of becoming the commander. After all, in Sri Lanka, this practice is the way that your social class make sure that no genuine person who would not bow his backbone to you all, comes up the ladder to reach places. When are we going to change that, so that those who deserve and talented get to where they deserve? What is blocking this change sir, is your own class of the social elite. You don't want the masses to come up in life to threaten the selfish superior social class created by the colonial masters. This is why Sri Lanka, has gone nowhere since 1948, though you, and your family has progressed in life.)however, to give it an imprimatur is to court disaster. this will open up the floodgates to sneaking, backbiting and cut throatism.

( Dear sir, those have been the best skills of the senior officers in your officers mess culture ( which is again, was a legacy left behind by the Whiteman ). they tried to teach those dirty habits to us too. but sir, in case you don't know sir, we come from Sinhalese Buddhist families who entertain no nonsense. we believe the greatest warrior is a god-like figure who is an example to the rest of the population. instead we found the way you consider heroism is by the amount of alcohol you can drink, or how loud-mouthed, boasting and boisterous you are, or by the number of women you sleep with, or the number of innocent weak you beat up and kill. if you haven't noticed sir this is why Prabakaran created Tamil tigers and their historical philosophy, because that is the only way to get themselves free of your social class. yet, some of us did learn your dirty art & knew how to survive the war to rise up the ladder to become one just like you. This is exactly why the war has gone nowhere and "the enemy has become stronger and stronger as if there has been no resistance at all to them". You must be blind not to notice these and move around in your glorious uniforms and medals. If I were you sir, I will be so ashamed that I will apologise to the nation and shoot myself in the head before the nation does. )discipline, which is the bedrock of an army will be shattered.

( Dear sir, it was no one else but you all, who destroyed my disciplined army. you sat on the volcano, being unable to design effective strategies, until we, who are in the field helpless under all the frustration and tension, became frustrated to the boiling point. for every killing, assault and the rape of the innocent, it is you who is responsible. it was your duty to design strategies that avoids we being subjected to such continuous, tormenting environments where young men are driven insane. If not for our Buddhist Sinhalese innocence and patience, there would have been so many more massacres and rapes considering the magnitude of the pressure we were subjected to.During 1988-89, you ordered us to brutally massacre our own young men and women, whom now we learnt, were mostly innocent. We killed, we tortured, some of us, raped, without a cent of discipline, without a cent of humanity or feeling for those patriotic young men and women, to get you and your politicians what you all wanted.

Almost all of so-called jvp suspects we tortured to death were pure Buddhist Sinhalese. Most of them have never witnessed such horrendous violence, let alone torture. we remember how utterly shocked they were to see that someone can instigate such cruel pain and torture on another human being.

Can we now repeat that “bravado” in the north ? No sir, there are human rights organizations, city councils, judges, catholic priests protecting the Tamil civilians in the north. Yet you continue to place us under an unsuitable strategy, which you refuse to change, and which place us under unbearable conditions, pressurizing us to the maximum we can take it. We can take it to a considerable extent sir, being patient Sinhalese Buddhists we can. But it is easier for you to condemn us when we cannot take it anymore. You come and try it here sir, see what it is like to serve in the north and the east now. It is like standing naked in a firestorm. Any civilian that passes us can be a tiger sympathiser, and a propagandanist, and a tiger in a civilian dress, who can easily throw a bomb and run away. Around you sir are traitors who not only haven't got a cent of feeling for the country or us, they even exchange information, screw the whole system, for money. You don't see them, because it is easy to pretend to be blind. After all, what damage can it do to you ? Common people will never get to know how the traitors used you and your weaknesses. )a fine example of this back-door approach is the himalayan blunder caused by defence minister Krishna Menno's close relationship with a political stooge in the person of gen. kaul who was appointed the commander of the corps in India's north east frontier agency {near) before and after the Chinese incursion in 1962. I remember visiting the Indian army some time afterwards and the talk amongst Indians was how the callboys as they dubbed kaul and his stooges had spelt disaster for India. let us beware of stoogery; at all levels-including factionalism as referred to in the ex serviceman's article. loyalty should be to nation, the army and the regiment not to individuals.

( yeah, yeah, that's what you all said when we liked Gen.Kobbekaduwa ! Dear sir, we liked him because he did not treat us like we were his servant "koluwa", he treated us with respect and dignity, like our father, he called us "Putha", and "Daruwa". He showed us that our sacrifice is understood and appreciated, at least, by himself. He cared for all human beings, including the Tamil combatants and the civilians and us. that is why we liked him. we did not dream about power or wealth like you and your politicians, sir.)the ex serviceman; has gone on to attribute the failure of agni khiela and other set backs to the army due to the appointment of non infantrymen or armoured corps officers to the helm of affairs in the army. he therefore implies that only infantry or armoured corps officers should head the army, operational and field commands etc. he does not consider artillery, engineer and signal corps officers fit to hold such appointments and goes on to say that other countries too do not make such appointments. this is pure balderdash; and I refute it vehemently. I agree however that officers of the logistic services cannot aspire to such positions because their training and employment is not in consonance with command and deployment of troops in the field.

( Dear sir, an officer who do not have a personal interest or a born-talent in the subject of guerrilla warfare should never even be in fighting units. Whatever the unit he comes from, if he hasn't got what it takes, if he hasn't got a convincing plan, if he cannot deliver the results, he should be thrown out. what has been happening is the governing politicians have created a military system where senior officers from different backgrounds and personal interests, and talents, are all given a hand in running the war machine, leading to disastrous consequences for us and the economy of the country. It is like a nintendo-64 game being played by a group of children who are not accountable for the disastrous results. Funniest thing is sir, you even recommend medals for the precious young men you wasted in your "live experiments". and all this is covered up by the media censorship and the fact there is no one "clean enough" to question them. you all, who hold offices not only in the military, but also in other public and social spheres, are dishonest, selfish hypocrites. So we can talk about you forever, but nothing will happen until a new political, social leadership with a new correct philosophy, who is powerful enough to question you, emerges. )I am explaining this point rather extensively because I do not want the general public (who are generally not well versed in military affairs,

( Aren't you all lucky that the public do not know much about it sir ? just wait till the public learns about it, may be they will do something to open up the shells in which you all think and live.!)and more importantly the younger generation of officers (who are generally not too inclined to read military history or the biographies of great captains of war because of their unfamiliarity with the English language) to be mislead.

( Yes sir, that was a big problem ! I could not argue with you, or make my opinion heard, because you always talked in English. You ridiculed us for our lack of knowledge and pronunciation in English,

But sir we tried our best at Madya Maha Vidyalaya, our local school, to learn the English you talk. The English teacher was very arrogant to begin with sir, she always treated us like we were her servant's children, even if we were brave enough to ask a question, she answered in a careless manner. She looked annoyed even to see us, let alone teaching us. We managed to learn the alphabet and some words sir. She did not effectively teach us the all important grammar, or the pronunciations sir. So how can we compete with you sir ? We were too shy to question your incapability. )This ex-serviceman contention on higher command must be squashed because if accepted can be detrimental to national security.

( Dear sir, sorry to hurt your feelings, the biggest threat to the national security, is the military high command itself! what we mean by national security is the future, and the peace and happiness, of all the sri Lankans. in case you all have forgotten, national security does not mean the survival of the governing politicians, officials, and their social class of power.)If examples in other countries are required I can quote quite a few, such as napoleon Bonaparte who was an artillery officer (or gunner).

( Dear sir, Napoleon was a proven warrior since his childhood. while the other children played in the grounds, he read history. the only game he played was war games. Even as a cadet officer, he read and studied history, on his own, in solitary, while the other cadets danced the lives away with young women and wine. True, he went on to enjoy life like no other, indulged in all the pleasures he desired, only after he did the job for France. He was talented. The new people's government that came to power after throwing out the powerful social class that ruined France, needed someone who can deliver the result. Lucky for Napoleon, the officials from powerful social class that controlled and ruined the people and France, had just been thrown out of power. The new people's government did not care what his background is. Lucky for him, and France ! )Many engineer (or sapper) officers have headed the British army, such as field marshal the earl kitchiner who was chief of the imperial general staff(cigs) or head of the British army during most of World War I and on retirement was made minister for war. throughout most of World War 2, field marshal viscount Alan broke (a gunner) was clog's. his biographer sir Arthur Bryant in the turn of the tide describes this mans tremendous tussles with that formidable prime minister Churchill, but they had mutual respect for each others views and the partnership remained unbroken until the end of the war. he was succeeded by the flamboyant field marshal viscount Montgomery (an infantry man) whose choice his biographer alan moorehead says was strongly opposed. I quote when Montgomery was to be appointed cigs, the diehards leapt to their guns - they said he would turn the whole war office into a circus. how could you have a cigs strutting about in a comic hat? he would fire everyone he did not know and pack the place with his loyalists. he would quarrel with the other services and other counties. he would never grasp the intricacies of the job. the whole army will be used for his self-glorification etc. etc. ( You must be referring to Gen.Kobbekaduwa sir, but he never made that attempt to glorify or publicise himself sir, the reputation he gained was automatic. Appreciation flowed in, mainly after his death. Sir you cant stop the truth. more you try to suppress, the truth builds up stronger and stronger. If the military high command has a problem with such genuine military leaders that shows that the whole set-up is unsuitable and unfit to protect the nation.Re-structuring of the military high command, to suit this war, which happens to be the biggest threat to the future of our country, must be implemented. But, sir, you all do not have a clue of how or what sort of a re-structuring is necessary. Even the present high command structures are based on western military organizations. Dear sir, you all run all over the world to copy from others, because you all are clueless and you lack that born-talent to create things yourself! )Montgomery himself in his autobiography has a chapter about this period titled I make myself a nuisance in Whitehall. actually, he was not as bad as expected but was a failure as c.i.g.s. and was replaced by field marshal viscount slim another infantryman who had to virtually clean up the augean stables;. I am labouring on this point to show that a brilliant field commander as Montgomery was a not always suitable to lead an army but his successor was. I tend to quote the British army as I am a product of Sandhurst

( Sir we see the results the Sandhurst crap has delivered against the Tamil eelam military innovation, not only the LTTE has become the number one unbreakable organization in the world today, we have lost the entire Wanni and Elephant pass, and at a loss how to secure the east. Still, here we all continue to dance around the mulberry bush, at the expense of a few good adventurous young men who are ready to die. How long sir ? How long are you going to bullshit the nation ? ).however there are other non-infantrymen or non cavalrymen (the generic terms for armoured corps officers) who have made their mark. the famous douglas mac arthur - the `American Caesar; was an engineer officer who became a brilliant chief of any staff and later (in retirement) was supreme commander of the south pacific during world war 2 and later in Korea, from where he was recalled and relieved of command.in India, during my tenure of command in sri lanka, general o.p. malhotra an artillery officer was head of the army and there have been many artillery officers in that position in India. one distinguished sapper lieutenant general p.s. bhagat vc was nominated to be the chief of army staff but he died a few months before taking up his post. he was the first recipient of the Victoria cross in world war 2, having cleared a minefield single-handed (as a 2/lt) in the middle east. my other contemporaries from commonwealth countries whom I knew during my tenure of command (1977 - 1981) who were non-infantrymen or non-cavalrymen were major general brain panga (the first maori to command the new Zealand army) and major general Winston goo the commander of the Singapore army. both were from the corps of signals. some cynics might say these are two small ceremonial armies (as we are often dubbed when the pre 1983 era is referred to). they were and are professional armies as we have been. armies do not have to be in combat all the while. the new Zealanders have a history of fighting in both world wars. [incidentally one of their former generals, lord freyberg owned a house in clarendon place London w2 and the Ceylon government leased it out as the students centre.
( ah..ha ! who made the deal sir? who was the middleman ?]new Zealand is also a member of anzus pact, which is for the defence of the south pacific. Singapore's army has never been in combat, but they are highly professional and are backed by national servicemen and are capable of mobilizing about a hundred thousand under arms overnight. lee khan yews autobiography from third world to first world; reveals reasons for his building up a first class defence force before embarking on economic development.

( There you go again sir! You and your world war two stories! We used to listen to this crap with awed mouths and popped out eyes. What can we tell you sir ? You wouldn't want to hear about the chief Buddhist monk of our village temple, or how we rebuilt the gravel road in the village by a Shramadana or how hard my parents worked on the paddy field sir. at least, that was our lives sir, what's happening in other parts of the world is not our lives sir, we like to hear and learn if there is anything better to be learnt. but you only talked, and you did not learn what's to be learnt from overseas. you did not want to teach us, as we have no access to learn from overseas, the good things that we should learn from overseas. you learnt what's good for you, and your family, and your circle of friends, while we, and our families, rot in the hell. )when I was high commissioner to Australia (1982 to 1986), the Australian army chief lt.general sir peter gration was a sapper like myself. there are many other examples I can give. I have been lengthy and perhaps strayed a bit, but the army of sri lanka is now very much in the limelight and in common/parlance there is much dead rope bandied around in social circles and in the media, so I want to put the record straight.

( You all have brought nothing but disgraceful failure sir, meanwhile the whole world is interested in getting to know the leaders of the Tamil tigers, including the tiger's first class military wing leadership. They are the right people in the right job sir. They don't bullshit their people like you all sir, they don't talk crap either. They are admirable "men of action" who are responsible for their decisions. Now even foreign diplomats, spies, and the media personnel creep into the Vanni to speak to the leaders of this excellent organization. I must tell the truth sir, even if they were my enemy. In the enemy territory sir nothing but the truth, rules. All the nonsense you boast in Colombo, does not mean a cent here. That is why you cant bullshit the young men who have been there. All your big talk in Colombo, means nothing there. May be you should patrol in to the enemy territory yourself with us to learn that fact yourself.)usually armies have more infantry and cavalry officers than gunners, suppers or signals officers, so their opportunities of promotion to high posts are greater but it does not imply that all of them are superior in knowledge and are better leaders.

( see sir, what is wrong with our country is there is no avenue for the right people to come to the right place. there are social taboos, like race, religion, class, cast, family status etc,etc that you all have created. that stops the best talent from coming to deserving places. No wonder that the country, apart from your families sir, and we all have gone nowhere.)
I will conclude by specifying some of the responsibilities of a service chief in peacetime and in war.

( For god's sake, as the Whiteman- whom you adore so much- says sir, stay out of it. It is still better for the country if you concentrate on your private money-making businesses that you did on the sly while in the service, than trying to poke your wise finger in to the mess that you have already left behind.)an appointee to this position must have the knowledge, ability and aptitude to carry out these responsibilities and ( Do we have a social system that ensure the best person in the country is spotted and given the task ? No sir, the society we have will only hand it over to someone known as a faithful "balu kukka ( tail-wagging dog)" to the governing politicians, and of high cast, may be a kandiyan, maybe a person who knows only English, or from a rich family with connections. Few years back the knowledge of English and the college attended was also important. Until you all from the upper classes realise the false values that the colonial powers established and that you all continue to practice, we ALL will be going nowhere! And community groups like the Eelamists, and the Muslim congress will continue to demand separate states to mind their affairs themselves, because you all are failing in your responsibilities. Community groups like some leftist fractions, many Catholics will not only stay away from the struggle against the LTTE, they will even secretly take the side of the enemy. That is why we have some Sinhalese and many burghers and Catholics supporting the Eelamists today) not one who is a government loyalist, a showman in the field or a publicity monger. the principal functions are listed not in any priority because all are equally important.
a) to be the principal adviser to government on the state of readiness of his force to carry out governments decisions pertaining to national security.

( For this, we must have all fighting units under one command. This must be the topmost, and the most respectable establishment in the country. Only the individuals who are born with evident talents and personal interest in the subject should be absorbed in to this sacred institution. It MUST not be a place for the macho trouble-making killers who cant absorb OR UNDERSTAND THE WARRIOR PHILOSOPHY. A warrior philosophy, that generates respect rather than fear, must be established. Accordingly, the relevant national philosophy should also be introduced.) even in peace time there are numerous national security issues e.g illicit immigration and smuggling; food shortages and distribution etc., and of course disaster relief and the perennial support to the police in maintaining the peace.

( For all other administration duties, we must have administrators in back-up or supporting units. Their job is to look after, with efficiency and top priority the requirements of the fighting wing. All you engineers, lecturers, sportsmen, diplomats and artists may hold positions in these supporting units. But the exclusive facilities made available to the warriors should not be made available to any one these people who are on supporting roles.)
b) to be the professional head of the service and train all personnel under command in their profession and educate personnel in the latest techniques available.

( The education and training, need not be from overseas alone sir, like the Tamil tigers, we also have talents, though you fail to notice as you all upper classes live above the common public, the talented can convert ours into the best defence force of the Asia. With the boundary that separates sri lanka from the eel am defence force, being only a just 100 kms away from Colombo, unless we have a no- nonsense defence force, we are doomed. Western training, methods, and equipment are too expensive for us sir. As you can see now we can hardly afford to do war like the way the Americans do. Our defence budget is nearly 20 times that of the enemy. While we should learn what we must, we should also look at non-western military outfits like the Vietnamese fighting units who are regarded, certainly not by the western media, as the world's best jungle warriors. There is so many things affordable to us, that can be applied to win this war. But you all cant see it because you lack that born-talent, personal interest or the passion. )
c) to be the commander and manager of all forces in the service - a function which has to be delegated to subordinate commanders and staff with clear directions, which have to be monitored constantly by inspections etc. and in times of emergency to liaise with other services and departments and carry out assignments and tasks to achieve the objectives set out by government.

( Sir, the fighting units under one national command must be able to operate, certainly under the governing laws, freely. They must not have worries of unnecessary administration duties or otherwise. We who joined only to fight for our motherland, were overloaded with such non-combat tasks, which "any idiot who does not have the guts to venture out of the camp", can do with pleasure. It prevented us from dedicating ourselves totally, to spare time to think, and analyse the enemy. Perhaps, we were not expected to think. We, like your servants, were expected to do only what we were told to do without questions, and nothing more. Well sir that is why you have over so many desertions in the armed forces fighting units now. Even 500 years of colonialism and 50 years of social suppression, could not turn all the common people in your country, that dumb sir ! Once in the deadly corners of the north and the east, the young men realise the futility and the inadequacy of the strategy you follow.)
I trust I have made myself clear on issues of which many people have no knowledge but expound authoritatively. I may be regarded as old fashioned but certain fundamentals do not change and I trust the army remains true to principles adopted universally over the years

( Sir, it is time to change, because, though you have failed to notice during the last 20 years, the Tamil tigers have introduced a brand new warfare. It is not a task for a professional armed force modelled on the western military philosophy. We must create our own counter-warfare, and re-structure not only our armed forces, we must introduce some philosophical changes to our social, and political systems as well. You all think Tamil tiger war is limited to the military front alone. But Sir a lot of ethnic, religious and social minorities are helping the enemy. Some Sinhalese, mostly some angry leftist fractions who suffered brutal oppression under your command, from the poor and the lower-middle classes, are with the enemy. The enemy is using them beautifully to their selfish advantage.

How do you plan to win these people back sir?

Have you, or any politician, or any official, or any social leader, got any long-term genuine plan to solve their economic or social problems ?

They are not asking for BMWs or Benz cars sir, they don't have dreams to become millionaires, they only want a suitable job that matches their talents and capabilities, and the social dignity and equality that the western societies practice. It is so unfortunate that you who adore the west so much, fail to see the good things that we should learn from the west!

Some Christians, including a lot of Sinhalese Christians, have no respect for the Buddhist Sinhalese heritage, which we tried to protect at the expense of our lives. They do not even recognize that heritage, the very reason why we were prepared to lay down our precious young lives while our parents, and our families needed us so badly. These Hippocratic Christians like to do anything, say anything, to despise the Buddhist factor, while doing everything possible to convert more people to Christianity. They will even take the enemy's side when it comes to choosing between the Sinhalese Buddhists, who believes in equality and fairness for all, and the Tamil separatism that gives priority to Dravidians.

Why is that sir ?

Is it because they have this desire to keep the Sinhalese Buddhists despised and down forever as the Europeans taught them? or is it because they like licking the proud asses of Tamil separatists, than accepting our Sinhalese Buddhist friendly hand ?

You see sir, something must be done to bring them in line and to discipline them. They talk so big about god's good preaching, but most of them are themselves, a big obstacle in cleaning up the vices of the society.

Sir, my country is the one and only country in the world that carries the Sinhalese Buddhist heritage.

Why don't you all do not establish that fact. We never had plans to join armed forces sir. Yet, we joined because it was our duty to protect our heritage. But it looks like, during centuries of colonial rule, other Sri Lankans have been very dangerously brainwashed by the Whiteman. All other ethnic and religious communities have some link to somewhere lese in the world. Can't you see sir, this is the only place for us. Catholic priests are openly campaigning for the enemy and the church is silent on that treachery. Why is that sir ? How come our great Sinhalese Buddhist civilization reduced to such a weak, or in good Sinhalese words, " ponna " or "napunsaka" level ? )
and does not fall victim to the current trend of sacrificing principle for expediency as most segments of society in sri lanka have done to the detriment of the nation.

( Sir we think this party politics must end. Individual politics, without parties should be established. Politicians powers must be limited to what it should have been. Instead a national philosophy must become the leader of the country. This national philosophy must, very very clearly, specify the boundaries, rules and limits for everything and everyone in Sri Lanka. It should include an oath for every Sri Lankan, to swear to protect not only the own race, own religion, own family, but also to protect and to respect others too. multi-culturelism, sir, should not be one way. It should also allow for constructive self-criticism, which is very important for correcting ourselves.

It must include an acceptance of the Sinhalese Buddhist heritage and the necessity to protect it. Everyone must have equal rights, including the Sinhalese Buddhist masses. Ethnic, religious and social minorities must learn to share, and tolerate others and cease predatory and competing tactics that jeopardise the peace and the happiness of everyone in the country. You see Sir, the average, common Tamil civilian did not want a separate state. It was their social, religious, and political leaders who created this environment. They made use of the loopholes, severe weaknesses and the selfishness of those who ruled Sri Lanka since 1948, to betray Sri Lanka.

Let me give a classic example of why all ethnic, religious, and social minorities must be united by one national philosophy sir.
We being such a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, one very senior Christian Tamil police officer was,

a traitor who even shipped arrested tiger suspects overseas,killed as many Sinhalese young men and women as possible, during the jvp uprising in 1988/89 in the south as the police officer-in-charge of the southern province,

and even went on to became "a police chief" ( can you believe it ?) of Sri Lanka,

and upon retirement, finally fled overseas after he finished his job for the Tamil tigers.

You must know whom I mean sir. You must be highly embarrassed that the very people you had whisky with, the very upper class individuals with whom you played tennis and golf with, the very individuals who paved you the way to many a lucrative side-business deals, were, in fact, either willing or forced spies or agents planted by the LTTE.

If only the people knew that this sort of things are happening under the guise of multi-cultural Sri Lanka.

Why not tell the people about this treason, and the others, and the ones that only the intelligence officers suspect but cannot do anything about as there are godfathers, who are shy of embarrassing consequences, protecting these traitors.

Sir, enough is enough! Why aren't you all failing to notice the treachery that's happening under the guise of multi-cultural Sri Lanka? This war can only be won in Colombo, not in the fields of the north. Until we win in Colombo, more soldiers will be wasted in the north. My country is not a prostitute to be taken on by those who are loyal only to the selfish interests of their families and their very selfish ethnic, religious and social clubs, and refuse to respect what it bears in its 2500 years long history.

We need people who genuinely love all Sri Lankans, and the country, irrespective of the race, religion, cast, and social class. We must fight to place those talented people where they belong. We must make sure they do their job properly with accountability and responsibility.

Otherwise, we might as well keep on fighting each other, until there is no one left to fight anymore, like what happened to many a infantry battalions in our fighting regiments.

If you choose this option I can guarantee that the ultimate winners will be the Tamil tigers ( who will surprise the people of Tamil Eelam and the moderate Eelamists with the extreme military governance ), the ethnic, religious and social leaders of the minorities ( who will continue to demand unfairly and enjoy more than they deserve ) and the powerful social class of Sri Lanka. They all together will continue to oppress, rip-off and weaken Sri Lanka and the rest of the Sri Lankans until, Sri Lanka or the Sri Lankans has no more to give them.

The ultimate losers are, of course, the 70% of the Sri Lankans, namely the Sinhalese Buddhist masses, as has been happening ever since the tenth century.

Finally sir, words cant describe how glad I'm now that I didn't die in this war. Because it was a war, that, we, never fought.

Despite our interests in this subject, we were never allowed to build the necessary social or the political stage to fight in a way so that we can take the game back to the enemy efficiently. The only challenge offered by us was the firepower ( which was mostly wasted and which is too expensive to rely on), and some timely human sacrifices offered by some real heroes.

This war was not fought the innovative strategic way it should have been fought in order to "win" it. We only reacted to what the enemy was showing us. The real war, was in Colombo. The war in the north was just a shadow of the real war in Colombo.

The end result was such a waste of heroes, and the military hardware. You all have excuses and theories to cover up all these.

If you disagree with our view, do go there yourself as an ordinary fighting soldier, or send your son. Study the history of this war, and other similar conflicts. Learn history. Discover it yourself. One day the truth will prevail.But I must tell you this now, on behalf of those excellent young men of principles, that I once knew,( and very sadly, the likes of whom I can hardly find in our society,) and who are, now, no more. Living among you all now, I miss them, and their principles in life, so badly.