Protecting VVIPs

A SILENT night. A deserted neighbourhood. One prime target framed in the telescopic sight of a sniper rifle. The squeeze of the trigger by a professional assassin. The bullets reach the target in seconds. Silence again.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was one of the most heavily protected individuals in this country. He was provided with 24-hour security.

That one man or perhaps two, could defeat a security cordon of elite commandos is beyond belief. It should have been impossible, but the unthinkable has happened. It was truly a massive intelligence and security failure.

What the security authorities were doing all this time is the question that comes to our minds. The LTTE snipers would have kept the Minister's private residence under close surveillance for many months, studying his daily routine.

The security authorities should have organised a search of the neighbourhood and increased their vigilance at least when they nabbed some suspects who were filming in the area. Alas, this was not to be.

While investigating the killing per se, the Government must also probe deep into the security lapses that paved the way for it. All personnel responsible for dereliction of duty must be held accountable and punished appropriately. This is as important as finding the assassins who pulled the trigger.

The IGP has gone on record saying that they advised the Minister not to come to the private residence as there was a security risk and the Minister in turn had not wanted a search of the neighbourhood. If this is true, the police have committed a massive blunder.

It was their duty to intensify security measures regardless of what the VVIP said. That is what they are trained and supposed to do.

Our intelligence services too should have kept their eyes and ears open to the latest methods employed by the enemy.

When a Tiger sniper in Jaffna killed the EPRLF leader sometime ago, they should have realised that the LTTE has devised a new way of executing targets they could not reach using trademark suicide bombers. But no thought has apparently been given to this development.

It is true that the ceasefire, which resulted in a relaxation of certain security measures, has enabled LTTE operatives to infiltrate Colombo. Concerns have been raised that the 'no-war' situation has led to some complacency vis-a-vis security measures.

The infamous Athurugiriya safehouse betrayal also practically broke the backbone of the intelligence network. It enabled the LTTE to hunt down some of our key intelligence operatives as their names were made public.

There have also been several killings of anti-LTTE figures in the capital recently. On the very day that Minister Kadirgamar was assassinated, a couple associated with the PLOTE were gunned down in Bambalapitiya.

Military and police intelligence should have been able to overcome these setbacks and stay one step ahead of the enemy. Our Security Forces seem to have developed a post-incident reaction syndrome, probably in terms of blazing guns and grenades.

But with a ceasefire on, this is no conventional war. It is a clandestine war waged by unseen adversaries. The security and intelligence personnel must put themselves in the enemy's shoes and ponder how the prime targets could be 'acquired'.

An insight into the foe's thinking is vital. It is a relentless psychological operation, as much as a physical one. Eternal vigilance and continuation of defensive mechanisms are essential.

In this context, the Emergency will help the three Armed Forces to be more actively involved in the security arrangements.

We can have the latest technological marvels at our disposal - satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, codebreakers, communications eavesdroppers etc - but nothing beats the man on the ground. Intelligence personnel are a vital asset and all efforts must be taken to develop their skills.

The authorities must now heighten security measures for the VVIPs. Constant change is the essence of good security. VVIPs must never stick to a monotonous routine that can easily be monitored by the enemy.

It goes without saying that these individuals would also have to forego their private lives for the sake of the nation, which cannot afford to lose them at this crucial juncture. They must be protected at all costs.

This cannot be done by armed guards alone. A true measure of intelligence, in the real sense of the word, is called for.