Hello All
This weekend we saw the results of an aerial attack on Colombo and it was
reminiscent of the TV News footage's of the attacks on Baghdad during the
Gulf War. The military's air defences create a very spectacular display
as we see coloured lights shooting across the sky followed by the sound of
heavy machine gun fire.
Those coloured lights are in fact bullets which, because of chemicals they
are treated in, burn after they are fired. This allows the gunners to see
where the bullets are going. These bullets are called Tracer bullets.
For very Tracer there are between 5 to 10 normal bullets you can not see.
These bullets are big, half an inch (12.5 mm) in diameter and if they hit
a house they will go through all the walls in the house and come out the
other side, before entering into the next house. These bullets travel for
more than 5 kilometres. They are very powerful and very dangerous.
The fact is we are in more danger from this Anti-Aircraft fire than we are
from the bombs being dropped by the LTTE. What goes up, has to come down,
and these bullets have to come down; sometimes on top of people injuring
them.
I imagine on Saturday most people stood near windows or outside watching
this display; in future don't, stay inside, away from windows.
To make the situation worse there were some Police and Military firing
their T56 or AK47 personal weapons from the streets in to the sky.
If you are stood on a roof, you could be hit by this shooting, so stay inside.
Chris Gibb
Security Coordinator
Save the Children
58A Horton Place
Colombo 07
Sri Lanka
Tel: 94 (01)1 2672668-70 & 2672672-74 Ext 110
Fax: 94 (01)1 2672671 & 2672675
Mobile: 0773054874
Email: [email protected]
This weekend we saw the results of an aerial attack on Colombo and it was
reminiscent of the TV News footage's of the attacks on Baghdad during the
Gulf War. The military's air defences create a very spectacular display
as we see coloured lights shooting across the sky followed by the sound of
heavy machine gun fire.
Those coloured lights are in fact bullets which, because of chemicals they
are treated in, burn after they are fired. This allows the gunners to see
where the bullets are going. These bullets are called Tracer bullets.
For very Tracer there are between 5 to 10 normal bullets you can not see.
These bullets are big, half an inch (12.5 mm) in diameter and if they hit
a house they will go through all the walls in the house and come out the
other side, before entering into the next house. These bullets travel for
more than 5 kilometres. They are very powerful and very dangerous.
The fact is we are in more danger from this Anti-Aircraft fire than we are
from the bombs being dropped by the LTTE. What goes up, has to come down,
and these bullets have to come down; sometimes on top of people injuring
them.
I imagine on Saturday most people stood near windows or outside watching
this display; in future don't, stay inside, away from windows.
To make the situation worse there were some Police and Military firing
their T56 or AK47 personal weapons from the streets in to the sky.
If you are stood on a roof, you could be hit by this shooting, so stay inside.
Chris Gibb
Security Coordinator
Save the Children
58A Horton Place
Colombo 07
Sri Lanka
Tel: 94 (01)1 2672668-70 & 2672672-74 Ext 110
Fax: 94 (01)1 2672671 & 2672675
Mobile: 0773054874
Email: [email protected]
