A great act of bravery

The singular act of gallantry by a sailor. who averted a catastrophic disaster at the weekend Anuradhapura Mahajana Pola deserves the accolades of the entire nation.

According to reports, N. S. W. Bandara of the Mannar naval detachment had spotted an unattended bag at the pola a short distance away from the Anuradhapura main bus stand.

Without hesitation he walked to where the bag lay and cautiously opened it to find an explosive device fitted with a timer inside the bag.

Had he waited for the Bomb Disposal Squad to arrive at the scene there would have been a carnage of unimaginable proportions since it was later revealed that the bomb would have gone off seconds afterwards. This act of daring and bravery should be recognised by the Defence authorities and the sailor fittingly rewarded with a promotion in rank.

The episode is only an example of the bravery and gallantry displayed by our fighting Forces on the battlefield. If anyone doubts the motives of those who join the Forces merely as a means to keep their home fires burning this single act of bravery no doubt will go a long way in debunking such theories.

This is not the first time that members of the Forces had displayed such courage and valour. One recalls the famous episode of 'Hasalaka Gamini' who single handedly rammed an Army tank blocking an enemy advance causing heavy Tiger casualties while perishing himself.

The Anuradhapura bomb it is reported weighed 1.5 kilograms and the destruction and mayhem it would have wrought could have been mind boggling, considering that the nearly 50,000 people visit the pola.

Added to this is what may have been the fallout of the terrible catastrophe that was timely averted, in an area sacred to the majority Buddhists.

This is all the more reason why this act of bravery should be acknowledged and appreciated by all peace loving citizens. It is hoped that this singular act of gallantry would rub off on all members of the Forces to respond in similar vein outside the theatre of conflict.

The public too can help in their own way by being alert and quick to respond to instances of danger on their part exercising their civic duties by the country.

A correct step

The decision by the Government to reactivate the existing law for the seizure of assets of those aiding and abetting terrorism has come at an opportune time with the increase in detections of civilian collusion with the LTTE in various parts of the country.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka in response to a question from the Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter the Most Ven.Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddartha Sumangala Thera when he called on the prelate on Saturday said, the Government in future would take steps to implement the legal provisions to confiscate the assets of all collaborators.

The Most Ven. Thera pointed out that those assisting and co-operating with terrorists were traitors to their Motherland, and therefore their assets should be confiscated. This comes at a time when terrorism was being crushed successfully and the Government seeking a just solution to the protracted conflict.

Inherent in the Ven. Thera's remarks is the fact that at a time when the Forces are on the march to victory any collusion with the LTTE can only undermine the resolve of the Forces to defeat the enemy- especially if the collaborators are from the majority community.

It will also be a severe blow to the morale of the troops who firmly believe that the entire country is behind them and share their sacrifices on the battle field.

It is therefore incumbent on the part of the Government not to leave anything that would hinder the progress of the current offensive and severely deal with all the moles and collaborators in our midst in order to attain the final objective of eliminating the terrorist menace expeditiously.

In this regard the decision to seize the personal property and assets of those collaborating with the terrorists is a timely move that we hope would act as a deterrent against these traitorous elements.

It would even be more effective if in addition to this the ultimate penalty of capital punishment is introduced to deal with those negating the sacrifices of the Forces.