The world was in for a shock with the dawning of 2020. An unknown virus hit first China and spread across the world like wildfire. Since the first death in January 2020 as of 7^thOctober 2020 (10 months) the death toll worldwide is over 1million (1,060,443). No one still knows how the virus came about though there are plenty of theories. But, what we do know is that the virus is spreading still and causing a major danger to the world at every level of polity. Terrorism is the other global malady facing the world with some form of armed conflict, state sponsorship of terror, illegal arms & the business of terrorism posing a lucrative venture for a handful of conflict resolution experts and others who sustain employment on conflicts. The modern suicide bomber was introduced by LTTE and thereafter many other terrorist organizations are copying their methodologies. While the LTTE suicide bombers targeted a specific place and people – the moment the human suicide bomber pulled the trigger the damage was caused and that was the end of the story. Covid-19 on the other hand has become or is likely to even be used as a human biological weapon wherein covid-19 carriers can be sent on ‘missions’ that can end up in catastrophic results. Covid-Travel bombers will pose future dangers. This is why, governments must ensure everyone conforms to the strictest of health regulations arriving & departing the country, to detect and quarantine anyone who may be having the virus in his/her system.

LTTE suicide bombers were plucked from people who were parentless, traumatized by war and possibly placed on drugs in the orphanages run by LTTE in remote jungle terrains where they were 24×7 brainwashed into hating Sinhalese and believing they were dying for a cause and those who had families would be financially looked after with their sacrifice. It is such a pity that over 300 such Tamils fell prey to LTTE’s suicide brainwashing techniques and not only killed themselves but killed so many innocent others too.

The over 300 suicide attacks by LTTE resulted in the deaths of thousands of people & included politicians, public servants, principals, school children, academics, military personnel & even the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The suicide bombings by LTTE became world news and also grabbed attention of other terrorist organizations who also copied their tactics.

Suicide bombings pose a lesser danger when compared with the current covid situation. We know there is a virus called covid but we don’t know what it looks like, how it travels, how it works inside people’s human systems or even what caused this outbreak. We have thousands of varying theories with no final conclusion to any of our questions.

The suicide bomber also could not be noticed except in instances where the security guards or military challenged them but that challenge ended up the end of the security/military person as the suicide bomber immediately blew herself/himself up.

The covid on the other hand is supposed to be contaminating people in various ways, its airborne, remains on different surfaces for different durations and no one knows what it looks like or even if it is in one’s system until some days later, one starts feeling unusual and abnormal. Even regular testing may not be able to detect the virus. It is moving around in unusual ways and forms.

In such a scenario, the mischief makers and miscreants can always use such to completely disturb and disrupt society.

We saw how some countries refused to conduct tests of foreign workers before they were packed off back to their countries of origin. Most of these who were sent for quarantine were tested covid positive. Luckily, the effective and efficient health authorities and intel/army units were able to mitigate the situation and deal with the covid often using native medication methods and treatments. Therefore, it has also shown that the simple herbal remedies used by our ancestors are very much valid even today. Nothing can beat the koththamalli, salt gargle and steam inhalation with no side effects of over usage too.

However, governments must be extremely cautious of foreign travelers be they tourists or people on work visas or even own citizens frequently travelling in & out of Sri Lanka. They must in future have extremely strict guidelines to follow. We cannot allow covid to be turned into or used as a human biological weapon.

When bigger nations are now referring to covid among their covert ‘intervention plans’ quoting joint training, humanitarian disasters etc – smaller countries like Sri Lanka who are regularly prone to destabilizing tactics must feel worried.

Just as Tsunami shocked the world it also provided and opened super avenues for countries to dump their shelf-life ending foods, medicines and even clothing to the victim nations. Likewise, politically powerful nations are likely to use covid as a justification to be positioned in nations claiming to ‘assist’ them!

We can recall how so many NGOs flooded to Sri Lanka to ‘help’ terror inflicted Sri Lanka & they ended up in bed with the terrorists helping them with their terror while also rolling out their own agendas. We cannot walk into a repeat performance without looking at the various avenues that destabilizing agents will manipulate and monopolize to their advantage.

The Sri Lankan Government / Foreign Ministry / Tourist & Trade Authorities / Customs & Ports / Immigration & Emigration / Health Authorities / Private Sector linked to these entities / Armed Forces, Police & Intel units need to be appraised of this possibility and work out mitigation plans. We cannot put anything aside in a new geopolitical game that is in a rush to grab land & resources of other countries anyhow & by any means.

Shenali D Waduge