TAMIL Information

www.tamilarangam.netSri Lanka Army* x on the defensive,Brigadier7/»e following interview given to Reuters by BrigadierWanasinghe was quite naturally censored in Sri Lanka, becauseIt goes contrary to what the government has been totting theSlnhala people. Not knowing the contents, ISLAND cartoonistcomments critically (above) on the censorship.The Sri Lankan army is on the defensive,militarily and psychologically, in its fightagainst guerillas seeking an independentTamil state in the north and east of thecountry, according to Brigadier HamiltonWanasinghe, Commander of the securityforces in Jaffna.Militarily because it does not have themanpower or the equipment to smashwell-armed and well-financed guerillamovement.Psychologically because it operates ina hostile almost wholly Tamil environment| and because the guerillas are having theM, best of the propaganda war.ffff "If we had more men, there would beI no problem, Brig. Wanasinghe toldI Reuters."Guerilla strength is on the increase",the Brigadier said. "We do not haveenough troops. We are building up but itwill take a little time."Shortage of men is only one of theweaknesses of the security forces. Officersin the north admit that the guerillas are aswell equipped as their own men — andsometimes better.Apart from one helicopter gunship,Wanasinghe said, the air force has nostrike aircraft. It ferries troops to the northin a motley collection of small and obsoletetransports, including 40-year-old DC-3sreclaimed from the scrap heap and reconditionedfor the guerilla emergency.\We need more gunships, and especiallyone with night capability", Wanasinghesaid. "But even if we had them it couldtake up to four years to train pilots."The army in the north, operating inhostile territory, was effectively confinedto its bases. "We do not have enoughtroops to go on the offensive", theBrigadier said.Mining of railway lines — 29 soldierswere killed in such an attack in January— had made the security forcesdependent on inadequate air supply orfoot-slogging for movement."Every inch of road must be checkedbefore the troops can move", Wanasinghesaid, "It's a great strain".Army tactics are to hold their bases,moving out only in response to a guerillaattack or to raid a suspected guerilla base.These tactics are dictated partly byshortage of troops and lack of mobilitybut partly also by consciousness of thebad image the army has gained throughover-reacting to earlier guerilla raids.Wanasinghe said 18 soldiers had beencourt-martialled and dismissed from thearmy for disciplinary offences but saidthat in most cases where civilians hadbeen killed it was because they had beencaught in cross-fire in an ambush.He said discipline was no longer aproblem. "Now the troops are seasoned."But the army was keeping alow profilein part to reduce the risk of unnecessarycivilian casualties which could beexploited by the guerillas to discredit thesecurity forces, he said.jkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;