Tags:
Journalism of Courage
During Royal Navy Chief Admiral Sir Jonathon Band’s three-day trip here starting May 27, Admiral Arun Prakash is expected to convey his deep consternation at the Tony Blair government’s threat to stop supplying spares for BN-2 Islander aircraft if the navy hands over an aircraft to Myanmar.
The threat, expressed by British High Commissioner Michael Arthur and first reported by Express in Jan 25, was followed up with another by British Minister for Defence Production Lord Paul Drayson while attending DefExpo in February.
The navy breathed a sigh of relief when Drayson clarified at that time that London’s threat would not affect a cleared sale of eight used Sea Harriers to the navy, though a section of the navy feels ‘‘nothing is airtight in practice’’. Its experience of the Sea King helicopters fleet being virtually confiscated in the UK owing to US sanctions is still weighing heavy on its memory.
As a part of a bilateral deal, India had decided last year to hand over a decades-old Islander to the Than Shwe dispensation.
