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Sri Lanka gets ready for war

After India ruled out the possibility of any help to evacuate Sri Lankan troops threatened by Tamil Tiger rebels advancing in northern Jaffna, the Sri Lankan government is on a 'war footing' and enforced strict measures to thwart the LTTE's victory in the peninsula.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga decided to implement some 'tough measures' to combat the LTTE and sought the support of the entire country to battle separatist Tamil guerrillas.

The State-run Daily News reported that the Public Security Act has been enforced with effect from today which bans activities designed to encourage terrorism and disrupt the normal activities of the people.

The president asked her cabinet ministers to mobilise all their resources on a war footing with immediate effect.

The Island wrote in a front-page editorial that the president should appeal to the friendly countries, particularly those in South Asia, to assist Sri Lanka in its hour of need. The assistance could be in the form of armaments, the paucity of which has placed the troops in a humiliating position. The troops cannot fight the enemy if they are outclassed in weaponry such as mortars and artillery.

The paper warned that ''any attempt to evacuate the troops with foreign assistance will not only demoralise all the armed forces but is also unlikely to happen.''

In a hurriedly called cabinet meeting last evening, the president told her ministers that she was greatly encouraged by the excellent support given by the international community at this critical moment.

The cabinet ministers were of the opinion that security forces should be given all support by mustering all energies and by circumventing all temporary setbacks.

It was decided that all expenditure which has been apportioned for non-essential development would be temporarily suspended for three months. If necessary, such funds will be diverted to the war effort.

The cabinet also decided to freeze the salary increase of ministers with effect from this month.

The central bank has already indicated that the government might have to impose new taxes to meet the increased defence expenditure this year.

Governor A S Jayawardene, while releasing the annual report for 1999, said due to the war escalation in the north, defence expenditure was bound to rise this year. Sri Lanka has allocated Rs 53.24 billion for defence which is 4.8 pc of the GDP.

UNI

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