Sri Lanka buys 14 military helicopters
Sri Lanka, two years after winning a three-decade war against separatists, has bought 14 Russian military Mi-171 helicopters in the latest deal between the two allies, Russia’s state-run arms exporter said yesterday.
The announcement comes as Sri Lanka this week discussed exploration and purchase of natural gas with Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom , in what may herald the return of Russian oil explorers to the island’s waters.
Anatoly Isaykin, the general director at Russia’s state-run arm exporter Rosoboronexport, said yesterday that there had been “delivery of the helicopters to Sri Lanka. It is a good transport vehicle and it fulfils its function.”
Spokesmen for Sri Lanka’s defence ministry and air force both said they were unaware of the deal for the Mi-171s. But air force spokesman Group Captain Andrew Wijesuriya said the military was aiming to expand its foray into civilian tourism.
“We are looking to contribute for civil air transportation industry through the expansion of our Helitours operations,” Wijesuriya said, referring to the military’s post-war repurposing of aircraft for tourism.
Sri Lanka, which has a $50bn economy, forecast a 6.3 percent increase in defence spending to 215.2bn ($1.9bn) in 2011 and its high military spending since the end of the war has drawn opposition criticism.
Russia’s Ulan-Ude Aviation Works built the choppers and makes four variants, including military and VIP transport versions, Russia’s state-run news agency ITAR-TASS said.
“A corresponding contract for supplying the helicopters will be carried out on account of the Russian state credit given to Sri Lanka by Russia in 2010 for purchasing Russian armaments,” ITAR-TASS said, without mentioning the total deal cost.
Since the end of the war with Tamil Tigers separatists in May 2009, Russia, China and India have been increasing cooperation with Sri Lanka’s government and are among its biggest benefactors in terms of global political capital.
Russia and China, both with UN Security Council vetoes, take a general stand that states have a right to police internal conflicts without outside interference. They have been Sri Lanka’s bulwarks against Western pressure to probe allegations of war crimes from the final months of the conflict.
Reuters / DM Online
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka must stay neutral in world conflicts – Harshana Rajakaruna April 16, 2024
- Sri Lanka commences IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings with positive bilateral talks April 16, 2024
- Iranian President to inaugurate ‘Uma Oya’ project during Sri Lanka visit April 16, 2024
- Chamara Sampath Dasanayake’s vehicle caught Fire in Bandarawela April 16, 2024
- India lifts ban on onion exports to Sri Lanka April 16, 2024
Russian oil and gas exploration in our waters is a welcome move. I hope they succeed and give us a good deal unlike the imperial West.
Hey LTTE rump and the rest of the lickers out there. Here is news. This time Gotabaya has bought a fleet of helicopters for his personal use using government funds!
Fantastic conclusion Manjula, see what living in the leafy suburbs of Australia can do to your intellect.
The fleet of Helicopters Manjula, aquired by the Defence Secretary is for the the personal use of the new force in Sri Lankan society, called Grease Devils.
The Defence Secretary, in a recent interview, was terribly sad and dissapointed that his army men failed to treat the pretty looking British Citizen (who is suspected to be an LTT cadre) who was caught behind the lines in the war that ended May 09, just as they did with all other suspected women “LTT cadres” as shown in the C4 video.
Now, someone has unleashed the Grease Devil Force to torment not only tamil women but sinhala buddhist women as well.
The fleet of helicopters Manjula, is for their use.
Hey Manjula, what about organising a Australia based SL women demonstration in front of SL High Commission against the sexist remarks by the Defence Secretary against womenfolk? The Navy Commander who was in charge during the war is now the SLHC in Canberra.
thanks mr rajapaksha and mr gotabaya our Soldier still we respect what you did for finised “LTTE” no matter now what you doing ,we ere with you
Dear Lankan,
Does your comment above mean that all Sri Lankan Sinhala people follow the Blue Brothers who had to kill more than 40,000 innocent civilians to get one man, Mr VP, who was never found at the end of the “war”?
FM should dub himself ‘amu kotiya’ instead of ‘Mahakotiya’.In the guise of a Sinhalese, he writes his daily trivia from the comfortable leafy suburbs of UK, USA or Australia.
FM repeats like a hackneyed mantra that 40,000 Tamils were killed in the final Humanitarian Operation to rescue the world’s biggest rescue operation of 300,000 + hostages ever launched. Was Mahakotiya there to witness this? Did he count that the number killed was exactly 40,000? Why not 100,000? It is amazing how these diaspora LTTE/Tamils come up with these numbers. The bigger the number the better it sounds, so that hopefully some mud sticks. Why don’t you reveal who you really are instead of hiding behind a pseudonym such as ‘Mahakotiya’? I used poetic licence to abbreviate your stupid name.
The helicopters were ordered by Hon Defence Sec for CIVILIAN USE IN THE TOURIST TRADE and not for defence purpose (as they are not equipped with weapons) and certainly not for personal use or to transport ‘grease devils’. The only ‘grease devils’ I know of are now ‘seththapochchi’ since 19/05/2009. It is a memorable day in our fab history, to be written in golden letters.
But this is too much for ‘Mahakotiya’! It is unbearable! He and his koti ilk cannot rest or sleep till they seek revenge so sweet.
I cannot wait for the day when Pillayan, KP and the other koti ‘grease devils’, who have bathed in ample thala thel, take the field/jungles to stage openly LTTE-2 terrorist insurrection, to demand their eelam autonomy, funded by diaspora Tamils, TNA, Big Mama and imperial West dogs and bitches. Our defence forces are straining at the leash to decimate this lot also. We are not Libya. It is not going to be a walk-over. Our heroic forces will be happy to oblige by totally annhilating this lot also. The bigger the koti numbers the happier our heroic soldiers. The kallathonis will then be reduced to a mere boat load to be easily shipped across to Big Mama land on a one way trip, with no ‘poitu varen’.
Hay “Balu koti Ass”…!
Yes all real Sinhalese are with this govt, who brought PEACE to the humans.
What a fakin forty thousand of barbarian tamils..? They’ve killed by themselves. They’re animals who kill each other, that’s their nature. That’s common sense..!
The language used by Nicholas and Amden demonstrate the inner fears of the Sinhala community.
September is a big month for Sri Lanka; the President will be visiting New York for the UN sessions and hope it will not be as disastrous as it was in his visit to the UK for the Oxford Union lecture.
The UN Human Rights organisation will also be meeting to consider the Darusman Report.
No wonder, blood and pride are at boiling point.
Language use by Fredrick also shows his inner fears of the tamil community. He always has 40,000+ figure or “genocide” at his tounge due to this fear. Those words are the only sense of security they have.
In Toronto there are busy meetings among tamil tigers in organising such demonstrations. Fredrick Amukotipitiya is busy organising tamil tiger demonstrations around the time UNHCR meeting in September. His dream figure of 40,000+ figure is now being printed in large posters and this LTTE terrorist posing as a sinhalese is busy trying to tarnish Sri Lanka’s good name, even though he had his “free” education while he was a “Kallathoni” (illegal resident) in Sri Lanka. Now he is using his free education to hit back at Sri Lanka at any cost and those are the people who would put their mother to prostitution to earn a buck.
Shame on you fake Fredrick. You have no guts and organs to appear in your real name.
Well said Manjula!
Fred the Mahakoitya is a diaspora Tamil to boot. He is peddling diaspora Tamil/LTTE disinformation/tripe daily. “Poi shollavana FM!”
They cannot bear the ignominy of total wipeout of the LTTE including its leaders. They are trying to re-build a neo-LTTE under a new team of leaders, currently based in the imperial West, with their connivance and help.
I cannot wait for them to raise their militant head to destroy them totally by our heroic forces. We need the exercise. The remaining kallathonis should be shoved across to Big Mama land on a one-way trip. Let them agitate for Tamil autonomy in TN, if they dare. Indian Central Government is devious by supporting Tamil nationalism in SL, in order to divert attention from this problem in TN itself.
How come the mahakotiya does not have numbers when it comes to the innocent civilians that died as a result of the ignorant.illustrate, uncivilized tiger soldiers that VP managed to brain wash into suicide bombing. No matter what bullshit any one says about MR he is our hero who saved our country. God bless MR and long life to him. Mahakotiya why don’t you just kill your self because Sri Lanka will be a better place without you.