Mobile phones and rebel attacks: The Learning Curve

The Independence Day celebrations in Sri Lanka have been fraught with drama. After a series of bombings rocked Sri Lanka and a call from a rebel group warned that there are going to be bombs in Colombo in some places, the military went on high alert. And one security measure resorted to was to block SMS on mobile phones for the duration of independence day festivities, in order to thwart attempts to organize the rebel attacks. Telecom companies advised their subscribers that text messaging services of all mobile operators would not be available from 6.00 a.m. to noon. (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL81366.htm)

A smart measure on the part of the Sri Lankan government, in my opinion, especially in light of the success of the EDSA overthrow of the Erap government owing in part to the efficient coordination of “people power efforts” through SMS. And I think that measure would be a big bump on the rebels’ plans; it is highly likely that SMS is one of their main means of communication. It’s refreshing to see that there are actually countries that learn from the past experiences of their neighbors. Let’s just hope that the measure cripples the rebel attack but not the government’s efforts in thwarting the rebels and protecting the citizenry.