Dreadful weapons

TAMIL political parties condemned the Sri Lankan government in late November over the acquisition of dangerous weapons for the security forces. Tamil and Muslim leaders say that the government intends to use the weapons in the north-east, which would pose grave risks to the population, as the Sri Lankan security forces are known to deliberately target civilians in Tamil areas. The concern follows a report appearing in The Guardian (London) newspaper on 23 November about the purchase of 1,000 shoulder-launched rockets with fuel-air warheads, through a firm with a British address and about the involvement of former Sri Lankan Army officer Lt. Col. Upali Gajanayake. The deal was first revealed by the Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Leader.

These Russian-made weapons, which are said to have been banned by NATO, can have a devastating impact on the body. The Guardian says that the force of fuel-air blasts can burst eyeballs out of their sockets and crush other internal organs. The warheads contain inflammable liquid mixed with explosives and it is impossible for victims to find a hiding place. British Liberal Democratic Party spokesman Menzies Campbell expressed deep concern and said that the nature of these weapons is so dreadful that they ought to be banned under an international convention.

In July, the British foreign affairs think-tank Saferworld, referred to export of small arms to Sri Lanka and questioned whether the exports are in keeping with the criteria that arms exports ‘which would provoke or prolong armed conflicts’ will not be licensed. The UK Working Group on Arms says that new proposals for legislation in the UK could still allow British brokers to supply weapons to terrorists and governments guilty of human rights abuses.


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