MAY 18: The Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff, General Rohan De'Silva Daluvatte, arrived in Chennai today on a four-day highly classified visit to India.Defence analysts attribute considerable importance to the visit coming in the wake of fresh LTTE offensive in Jaffna.According to highly-placed sources, the Lankan General, who arrived on Wednesday morning by a routine Air Lanka flight, was received by Area Commander Major General S P Kapur. Later, he left for Bangalore where the visiting officer is learnt to have held discussions with Indian defence personnel as well as top Air Force officers. General Daluvatte will leave for Colombo on May 21.When contacted, defence experts at the Southern Naval Command said the visit could be for probing the possibilities to ensure regular logistics support to Lankan troops trapped in Jaffna peninsula. All possibilities minus a direct involvement by India might be discussed, they said.Sri Lanka probably wants the Indian Air Force's protection to their supply channels to Jaffna where more than 35,000 soldiers are trapped. Following Jaffna's isolation, the Lankan Government is reaching logistics support to the trapped soldiers through air and sea, experts pointed out.``Perhaps, they want the Indian Air Force to escort their transport aircraft as well as supply ships following fresh intelligence reports that the LTTE might launch suicide attacks to sabotage these channels,'' they pointed out.The Lankan Government may also want the Indian Air Force to fly at least a few sorties over Jaffna every day to transmit the message that India would interfere in case of an emergency. This apart, they might seek air protection to the Palaly airbase and Kankesanturai Naval Base, both within the striking range of LTTE artillery, sources said.The secret visit of the Lankan General comes at a time when Lankan forces have opened new flanks of attacks to snub the LTTE offensive. ``Lanka probably would open new fronts other than their eastern flank to save Jaffna from an impending fall. And in case the Lankan Army is outpowered in Jaffna, they would seek a direct Air Force involvement.''``In that case, Lanka would want the IAF transport aircraft to airlift men and heavy weaponry worth crores of rupees from Jaffna. The Lankan Government is keen that no weapons land in LTTE hands if the peninsula falls.''The Indian Navy, meanwhile, has stepped up its manoeuvres in the eastern theatre. The Navy and the Coast Guard have already launched a joint surveillance exercise codenamed Operation Pasha.The Navy had recently staged a calibrated show of strength along the eastern coast in which heavily armed Kashin-class destroyers, Khanjar-class corvettes, patrolling vessels and aircraft had taken part.Though India is not expecting a direct involvement by any foreign country, the supply of arms and ammunition by Pakistan and Kfir fighters by Israel are being monitored.
