The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are purchasing aluminum cooking pots from government areas in large quantities to forge shells for locally-built mortars, intelligence sources reveal. The pot-collection ring operated unchallenged even a few days ago.
The Tigers have over paid for these pots sometimes by as much as Rs. 100 per pot in Medawachchiya Town and Vavuniya. Traders too have been enticed by this lucrative business. Mortars are an extremely vital artillery and sometimes even an infantry weapon. It can achieve what howitzers cannot in battle.
Some senior Amy officers in Vavuniya and Anuradhapura did not consider this intelligence to be credible at first. It is now believed that the Samathanam crude mortar system used recently in the Muhamalai battle maybe running-out of locally made mortar shells.
The Samathanam, a slightly improved version of the Pasilan 2000 makes a huge sound once charged but has a range of only 2kms. The weapon is ideal for guerrilla warfare since it is mounted on a tractor making it extremely mobile. The Tigers seem to have ample stocks of explosives probably hoarded during the CFA.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
LTTE ready the 'Samathanam'
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DW is it also possible this could be used for parts for their zlins? I just think back to WWII history how the British gathered pots and pans to help build spitfires to face the Germans.
DW, we should collect our pots and pans and give army research units a chance to come with shells.
We have to develope our weapons and ammunition if we are to fight the war in the long run.
"LTTE ready the "Samathanam""
What a travesty, they have used the term "samathanam" which means "peace" in Tamil for one of their rockets. This shows the polarized and uneducated nature of VP and the gang. I would have understood if they called it something that meant justice.
Gringo, I understand your concern. But GOSL has put all its eggs in the "war" basket. So as a nation, we need to make sure that we get something out of this (at this point, i.e. the war succeeds). If not, Sri Lankans will loose a lot. By the next election, if there are no visible results, Ranil, TNA, NGOs and IC will prey upon the prejudices of the masses, and something like the appalling CFA would come up. After all the sacrifices of the SLDF, and victories in the East this is not acceptable. So we need to keep the SLDF on their toes, constructively criticize them when they make boo boos and humbly applaud their victories (I said humbly, because we have a tendency to get complacent if we cheer them too much, as I said, same with Cricket).
Others may have other ideas, but that is fine. This is what I think, and I will continue to support the forces as long as they are on track to defeat the terrorists and the idea of terrorism.
@ Moshe, regarding the R&D that we were discussing previously, I now know that the SLA is ok at this (but they need to be really good). I got in touch with a group of scientists who are involved in this, and I assure you SLA's R&D is in good hands (we lost someone who was really good recently, but that is fine, there are many other good chaps).
Colombo dock yards is pretty good in the R&D I believe, and the Navy seems to be doing well.
But I am not sure about the SLAF. And I think despite the money that is pumped into the SLAF, this remains the weak link. Hopefully this will change. I had a great contact in SLAF about 15 years ago, but not anymore.
@ others
Most of the guys I talked to read both DW and DN, so keep posting your ideas here. But the problem is some of the ideas can be used by the LTTE against the SLDF, so be mindful of that.
rover,
yes; dockyard is a case in point. i deliberately avoided mentioning it!! R&D should not be R&D marvels of the past. it should be continuing.
glad to hear things are happening.
but there is heaps of potential to try out new R&D concepts. not only in products but also in processes and "way of doing things" IYKWIM.
is there any way you can share its official contact details??
Timely article DW; thanks.
it is clear from DW and DN that LTTE is readying for something.
higher number of mortars (<=2 kilometres) and unceasing waves are not poles apart!!!!
Rover, I think they called it samathanam because they expect the weapon to bring peace. It is suspected that they use phosphurus in it. However, they can add anything they want into it.
The LTTE can also get the necessary material from India. You cannot stop pots and pans to the North else how will people cook. Hence knowing this the LTTE has a useful source of supply (but not the only source).
DW;
There are 3 types they use
1. Pasilan
2.samathanam
3.Ragavan
do you have any related information about the Ragavan ...but Iqbal athas mentioned about the Ragavan in a article about the clashes in Muhamalai
short range motors are very useful in battle fields and offensive attacks...U.S forces still using the short range motors like 60 mm ..even though they have perfect Airforce,missiles,longrange arti and rockets,
60mm motors have the range of max 2km and they expand it to 2.5 km ..(any one correct me whether the 60mm motor's range is 2 or 1.8 )
Moshe, sorry, I can't reveal who is involved here. :(
But keep generating ideas, it will be useful not only for them, but for many others as well.
Yes Navindran, they can use anything as they are not signatories of any convention, and this is the great risk we face. Phosphorus is an incediary that has been used extensively in making bombs/shells. White phosphorus produces high heat and a lot of smoke so it is also used to make smoke screens during battle. WP make terrible burns and many armies in the world have voluntarily given up using them.
Shyam, its the same reason why soldiers carry guns and support weapons like the gpmg (general purpose machine guns), law (light anti tank weapons). The things like arti, armour are all auxiluay support. The infantry uses leads and eventually wins battles. The rest like armour is to overcome the obstacles and arti to soften the resistance.
Hence mortars are always needs. Each unit has a mortar platoon, even armoured infantry.
Hi guys, interesting discussion between rover and moshe on R&D...
The R&D is in good hands and we lost the briliant mind....won't be able to replace him..
/* I think they called it samathanam because they expect the weapon to bring peace.
*/
The truck caught with nearly 1 tonne of explosives bound for Colombo had 'Jesus is coming' written on it. They must be expecting Jesus after blowing up half of Colombo.
Retards justifying dumb logic of other retards it seems.
Thambala , Rave
I think boot bottom part should capable enough to redirect the pressure just like buffle armored vehicle plus shock absorbing facility, to enhance prevention from the harm from the particles we should develop pressure direction and armor plate
Ex: http://www.aigis.co.uk/anti-mine-boots.asp
Stop sending aluminium pots and pans to the north.
Send Clay pots and pans. Energy efficient and healthy too.
rove/wildrec,
can you give the official contact details (which is should ideally be pubic knowledge) of the R&D unit if there is a way to do so outside this blog via e-mail ?
it is a detailed procedure but if you are willing to share this info., i can explain it.
rover can you mail me at thambalagamuwa@gmail.com ?
LTTE has a whole division dedicated to R & D called Kanini pirivu. They are kept in luxurious conditions and all they do everyday is build bombs to kill army.
If you venture into the forest around Vallipunam , on Paranthan - Mullativu highway. You can hear their huge generator going the whole day.
Their main co-ordinating base is called 1 - 4
Panhinda, the LTTE expects the weapons and the warheads it will carry to cause such desruction that it will eventually bring peace. You do not need to be a genius to figure out why they do it. The truck could just have the words which many people commonly put as stcikers.
Patriot, many armies already use the mine retardent boots. The Singapore invertor of such boots use to wear the his army boots (all men are drafted there) to University everyday. His classmates use to laugh at him. Today he is laughin all the way to the bank.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5979081.html
This was in 2001!!!
http://www.bfrboots.com/arabic/html/media/news24.pdf
Samples of the boot had been sold
for "evaluations and trials" to defence agencies in about a dozen
countries including the United States, Spain, Turkey, Sri Lanka and
Saudi Arabia, said Ashley Vaz, business development manager for
manufacturer BFR Singapore.
Then why we are not giving the privilage to build defence accessaries to our guys, why cant we have a R&D section in ingineering universities
at least to invent & deveop a part of something, something that can save something of our heroes
i wonder whether sri lankan sinhalese always quarrel with each other???
In my experience the main reason why Army can't overrun Wanni is because of Prabhakaran's genius. He is a one man supercomputer who knows even if one grass has moved from left to right in Wanni.
Out of fear for "annai" and also from desperation ( since they have no more family or other life ) the hard core LTTE is also determined and very smart at devising new plans and defences.
LTTE is extremely secretive and paranoid organisation, run like gestapo. Every cadre is afraid the other will make complaint against him ( Thagadu ).
Most LTTE cadres know only what they need to know and catching the big guys ( lt. colonels ) is very hard since they hardly go to frontlines
Furthermore it is the overseas eelamists who are profiting from the war by skimming funds and profiting from weapon purchases are constantly fueling the fire.
Also SLDF is really fighting with their hands tied. In vanni their bombing is precise and rarely are civilians directly affected. Also they are not bombing kilinocchi town area and there are plenty of LTTE bases in this are due to this reason.
Only way to win this war is to increase intelligence by SLA
Also night bombing is essential. In experience when SLAF did night bombing first time after one of their jetsgot narrowly hit by tiger Air defence in April 2007.
The effect on cadres is amazing. All of them can't sleep and are running to bunkers in pitch darkness and getting crazy due to lack of sleep.
Even if SLAF doesn't actually drop a bomb but just makes a few sonic booms around mullathivu adn iranamadu jungles then their training is disrupted and morale gets very low.
other main LTTE R & D bases are in Iranamadhu area bike riding distance form kilinochi town.
Please SLAF bomb them !
kaatikuddupaan,
Can you give an introduction about yourself as to the validity of the information you have posted?
Also do you have an idea why Anandasangaree protested against night attacks by SLAF?
I have some good contacts on the inside of the puli koodo, but more than that I cannot say, please understand.
I'm not sure why Anandasangaree said no to night time missions but perhaps he was genuinely sympathetic to civilians.
Howeverin experience last year when SLAF put some "para light" and kept coming at nights for about a week. The cadres were just crazy and there was no training for them since they were too sleepy in day time. Once a jet engine is heard all cadres are woken up and have to run into bunkers and wait for about 1/2 an hour in fear. If this happened twice a night it creates a psychosis and really reduces morale.
Another good idea I can give to SLAF is to use adjust the fuse of the bomb especially the "cluster" to give off un exploded bomblets or even blow up about half an hour after hitting the ground. Most cadres are already in bunkers when jets come so rarely are causalties.
However they are very curious and quickly come out after 15-20 mins. that's when the bomb should explode otherwise SLAF is only hitting buildings if lucky.
kaatikuddupaan, you services are required by LNP and Defencewire. We here are not worthy of your comments. Hence please take your intresting debates elsewhere. Even the Pro LTTE guys are now talking more sensibily here.
Patriot, in every race, family you have quarels. In Sri Lanka politicians like JRW screws up the economy and diverts the attention by using racial inequality as a reason for their screwups.
Sri Lankans regardless of race can live peacefully if not for screwed up politicians.
thambala,
come on mate. kaatikuddupaa need not give any introduction.
he makes sense. that's all what matters.
kaati,
does the LTTE alert its cadres once a jet engine is heard or before that (based on telephone messages from sources close to katunayake)?
how the SLA can get info. about LTTE weapons stores? remember SLA has not stepped into mulaitivu area for over 20 years. until 1996 they were within the mulaitivu camp only.
I believe that LTTE has a source near Katunayake that gives them pre info. Then it gets relayed onto main radio comm relaying stations a message e.g "we caught peacock, or pluck the mango " or something absurd is told to the bases. This instantly means everyone must run into the bunkers in paths with tree cover, so that the drone ( UAV or beechcraft ) cannot see.
If the base is large the walkie man will fire shots into the air from T56.
However, cadres get tired of false alarm and do not strictly follow these instructions since tigerland is large and jets may hit elsewhere away from main Vanni heartland ( killinochi and mullativu )
Arms depots are not that large. Each brigade ( padayani ) has its own stores with a reasonable quantity. Often the store is a converted civilian bungalow in a residential neighbourhood close to the road for easy access.
E.G arty shells for Nagarkoayil were stashed in a civilian house not more than 4km from front lines.
Best way to get info is to make clear to deserting LTTE cadres that they will be rewarded if they come to army and not put in jail or killed. More effort should be use for psychological warfare to encourage LTTE cadres to desert and come to government areas.
Good way may be to even drop leaflets from air ( don't know how feasible )
Also some civilians have access to good info like tradesmen and people from maveerar/poralli families who can be bribed or threatened to give info when they come to government areas for visit.
Vanni people don't have much access to good tamil media from outside. only "eelanatham" tiger newspaper is allowed and only clear radio station is tiger propaganda " pullikali'n kural".
Even Suryan FM can't be heard properly from Vanni and it hardly has any useful news only cinema music all day.
Government should really change this as once people know that they can escape and be protected in government areas then it gives them some hope to come out and bring useful info with them.
defencewire,
i think, as long as ltte has a bit of shoreline with fishing freedom they can smuggle. Aluminum, arms or pretty much anything else. in various ways.. example, they can package the payload so they are as buoyant as salt water and attach them to the belly of btrawlers/boats. other than drag this sorta load would not show on the trawlers loading to the topside observer. so an innocent looking fishermen with a boat load of fish might carry the real merchandise submerged and unnoticed. why not ban fishing completely? will the people there starve if we do that ?
kaatikuduppan,
yes ltte may get these informations from some one attached to the SLAF facilities.that's why SLAF couldn't target LTTE high profile they already admitted this.
thanks kaati for your valuable insights.
did you mean sakthi FM or sooryan FM?
i agree on the idea of tapping into peoples' power in Vanni. at least the govt. should try out relaying radio transmission and drop leaflets.
after all there are more people in Vanni than the SLA!
This article is an eye opener for any ill-informed and/or misinformed person.
Hard core facts by Asoka Weerasinghe. Please circulate among your peers.
Eye opener - Worth reading & circulating
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2003/04/152_mm.jpg they are hiding them under a normal roof
43 killed in Sri Lanka clashes
LINK
UN watchdog groups denounce 5 nations (including Sri lanka) vying to join rights council
LINK
DW, TN claim that one APC has been destroyed in MN. Is there any truth in this?
kaatikuddupaan,
Thanks bro, there are many interresting points in your article and hope our guys can get good inputs from you.
Keep adding your comments here.
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