When fun stopped and panic set in

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

The few media personnel and business dealers who gathered on the occasion of a product launch at a star class hotel in the Galle Face area were in for a shock when lights were blacked out suddenly and the entire conference hall fell in pitch darkness. Nobody knew exactly what was happening until a security guard rushed in to inform that an LTTE aircraft was hovering about in the Fort area.

But before anybody could grasp what was happening we heard the burst of loud gunfire and flash lights illuminating the sky. We then realised the security forces were directing their fire power at the rogue LTTE light aircraft that had intruded into the city air space.

There was pandemonium in the conference hall when guests scrambled and ducked for cover under chairs and tables for safety. Just a few minutes ago we had watched a graceful female dancing troupe performing. The guests before dinner were sipping aperitif when it all happened around 9.30 p.m. that night. By then the mobile cellular phone had gone dead but half an hour later Short Message Service (SMS) appeared on our mobile phones and everyone knew what had happened. Perhaps an hour later everything cleared up following the downing of the two rogue LTTE aircraft. Even the roads opened up and we were able to reach our destination without any hassle.

Later when I contacted my newspaper office they told me the ceiling of the Observer Editor's room, the Dinamina Editorial and the Chairman's office had caved in due to impact caused by the explosion of the LTTE aircraft in the mid air. Fortunately nobody was injured.

This was the second occasion when the ceiling of the Observer Editor caved in. It also happened during the Central Bank bomb blast.

According to defence sources the aircraft had exploded over the Inland Revenue Department near Lake House and fragments were found near the building. Later the Colombo Fort Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya visited the scene and held the Magisterial inquiry and directed the police to submit a report to court.