December 2003

1.  HIZBUL MUZAHEDEEN, PAKISTAN: A militant wing of Pakistan's largest political party, Jamait-I-Islami - officially supports the liberation of Kashmir from India - Reportedly having Stinger missiles.
2. LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM (LTTE), SRILANKA: The most powerful rebel group opposed to the Sri Lankan Government - notorious for their suicide bombers, the Black Tigers - reported to be in possession of an array of Stingers and SA-7s.
3. AL QUEDA, SOUTH EAST ASIA; MIDDLE EAST: Bodyguards for Osama Bin Laden, leader of the pan-Islamic group - reportedly carrying Stringer missiles, and possessing several SA series Russian made missiles as well.
4. ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP, ALGERIA: Algeria's most violent Islamic movement - trying to overthrow the secular Algerian regime - reportedly possessing stinger missiles.
5. NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY, COLOMBIA: Marxist rebel group founded by intellectuals inspired by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara - known for kidnapping tactics and reportedly having various MANPADS.
6. REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA (FARC): The oldest, largest and most capable Marxist Insurgency reportedly having multiple types of MANPADS.
7. TALIBAN ; AFGANISTAN, PAKISTAN: Known to be possessing Stringer missiles left over from the war with Soviet Union - Taliban remnants driven from power by US, may still have some of these weapons.

OTHER INSURGENT GROUPS

1. KURDISTAN WORKERS PARTY (PKK) TURKEY: Outlawed group representing Kurdish autonomy in Turkey reported holding both Stingers and SA-7.
2. HEZBOLLAH, LEBENON: Radical Shiite group responsible for multiple bombings and kidnappings, reportedly possessing SA-7s and other MANPADS.
3. OROMO LIBERAION FRONT (OLF) ETHIOPIA: Rebel group seeking independence from Ethiopia for the Southern Oromin region, reportedly possessing unspecified MANPADS.
4. UNITED SOMALI CONGRESS - SOMALI NATIONAL ALLIANCE: Union of two major Somalian party factions, reportedly holding unspecified Manpads.
5. NATIONAL UNION FOR THE TOTAL INDEPENDENCE OF ANGOLA: Rebel group trying to transform itself from guerilla army to political party, reportedly possessing unspecified MANPADS.
6. VARIOUS REBEL GROUPS, CONGO: Reportedly holding various SA series MANPADS.
7. CHECHEN REBELS, RUSSIA: Seeking an independent Chechen Republic, reportedly possessing both SA-7s and Stingers.
8. UNITED WA STATE ARMY, MYNMAR: Drug running rebel group known for shuttling narcotics to neighboring Thailand, reportedly holding SA-7s and other MANPADS.

(Source : Jane's Intelligence Review and media reports)

Courtesy: email dated 2.12.2003 from Brig. P.N.Rao

Lethal virus developed to protect against smallpox

Scientists have created a highly lethal virus in an effort to develop stronger protections against the threat of super-virulent germs of smallpox that terrorists might turn on humans, researchers said on Friday. The genetic engineering involved a virus known as mousepox, which infects mice but is not known to hurt people. Into that virus, a cousin of the smallpox virus, the scientists spliced a single gene that made it superlethal. They tested it on mice that had been treated with different combinations of a smallpox vaccine and drugs.

The Asian Age - November 2, 1003.

Satellites to keep track of ships

New Delhi: The Coast Guard has mooted a satellite communication network of littoral states for effective monitoring of ships' movement to forestall hijacking and piracy and the use of the sea lanes for transporting weapons of mass destruction. "Ships have started reporting. What we need is to link up from West Asia o Japan," Coast Guard Director General Vice Admiral Suresh Mehta, told the Times of India. "Multirole vessels hat we are looking for will have pollution control devices," said Mehta. Prospects of the use of sea lanes for terrorist activities have been viewed in the context of the post 9/11 situation. For its own domain's security, the Coast Guard has mooted a legislation that would monitor entry of every ship that enters the Indian waters and ports.

Times of India - November 3, 2003

Mobile detector developed for UK police

London - November 8, 2003 - The British police believes that the device, developed for Scotland Yard by British and American scientists and nicknamed the Machine, will change the face of policing around the world and could save thousands of lives. With the scanner, officers will be able to see the outline of guns, knives and other weapons hidden under clothing and to intercept criminals before they strike, and would help stop suicide bombers by pinpointing devices packed with bolts and nails. The device harnesses technology known as passive millimeter-wave scanning to pick up harmless radiation from objects on a special camera, using a waveband between infra-red and microwave. It can not only pick out metal but also the plastic and ceramic materials now used to make weapons. The existence of the scanner has been kept secret within Scotland Yard and only a few senior officers know of the project.

The Asian Age - November 9, 2003.

Crime Detection Through Radio

Organised by the Melbourne police and a commercial radio network, a broadcast reconstructing an unsolved murder made social history in Australia. The broadcast reconstructed events that led to the slaying of 14-year-old Shirley Mae Collins at a Melbourne bayside suburb on the night of September 12. An announcement in the programme said the murderer himself might be listening. The mother of the dead girl spoke about Shirley's movements on the fatal day. The public were asked to help and within an hour after the broadcast, 50 phone calls were received at police headquarters, offering suggestions to investigators. Some callers also named suspects.

The Hindu - November 10, 2003.

By 2018, flying to get quieter with 'batwings'

London - November 11, 2003 - A batwing aircraft capable of swooping silently over cities could be carrying passengers by 2018, according to a UK government funded panel of aviation companies and scientists. The aircraft would create only half the noise of the quietest aircraft available today, making it barely perceptible. The batwing shape is also far more aerodynamic. It would require much smaller engines and burn only half the fuel in carrying the same number of passengers.

The Asian Age - November 12, 2003.

Marketplace -Voice door alarm

The ES4600 Digital Voice Alarm is a multi-functional door-monitoring device that combines standard door management functions with digital voice annunciation. Made by Digital Security, Inc., of Bastrop, Texas, the system is designed to help eliminate door violations with a digitally recorded verbal message that warns users when a door is left open. It can be used as a standalone product or with card readers, electronic locks, and most access control systems. Two adjustable time-delay periods allow the alarm to be customized for different applications. When a door is forced open, the unit activates an alarm contact and sounds an alarm continuously until it is reset.

Security Management - October 2003.

Network alarm router

The iCOM-E High Security Network Alarm Router from Digital Monitoring Products, Inc., of Springfield, Missouri, has received the AES Algorithm Certificate #66 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for encryption and is listed on the NIST Web site as validated for use by government agencies. The router incorporates the Advanced Encryption Standard using the Rijndael encryption algorithm. The network alarm router has also received a UL Listing for encryption over data networks for central station alarm, local alarm, police station alarm, proprietary alarm, and household fire and burglar alarm system units.

Security Management - October 2003.

Fire alarm upgrade

A new product migration technology enables customers with AUTOCALL firealarm systems to upgrade to the advanced SIM-PLEX 4100U platform. The 4100U XA Loop interface module from Simplex Grinnell LP of Houston allows gradual upgrade to a more advanced master panel or data gathering panel in an AUTOCALL system installed form the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. The new solution relieves building owners of the financial burden of replacing obsolete systems all at once and minimizes disruption to operations, while it improves life-safety protection.

Security Management - October 2003.

Smart theft prevention

ADT Security Services, Inc., of Boca Raton, Florida, has introduced the Sensormatic Smart EAS product line, an end-to-end solution that turns electronic article surveillance (EAS) into an intelligence system that improves loss prevention programmes. The products integrate a retailer's EAS system with its IT network to automate analysis of alarm data for better problem and trend identification.

Security Management - October 2003.

Police turning to palm prints

In April, the New York Police Department began having prisoners place their whole hand on the glass platen of a scanner when their prints are captured because at least 30 per cent of the prints lifted form crime scenes are of palms, not fingers. Using palm prints for identification concerns some defence lawyers. But proponents of using palm prints note that none of the dozens of finger print challenges have succeeded. Computerised databases are expected to exponentially increase the number of machines, as they did with fingerprints. Investigators are hopeful that the palm technology will help solve more property crimes, many of which depend on fingerprints for resolution.

Hindustan Times - November 22, 2003.

E-nose may replicate dog's sniffing skill

Washington - A new device called a "dog on a chip", which is more accurate and faster than other electronic sensors and sniffing dogs, may combine the benefits of technology and nature by not only detecting dangerous or illicit substances but by providing the electronic equivalent of a dog barking, researchers said on Friday. The researchers hope to make the package portable.

The Times of India - November 24, 2003.

Satellite surveillance for migrants in UK

London - November 28, 2003 - Under the UK government proposals, asylum-seekers in Britain are being electronically tagged or kept under satellite surveillance instead of being held in detention centers. UK home secretary David Blunkett said that in 18 months it would be possible to fit failed applicants with a tag using satellite technology to allow the authorities to pinpoint their location. He added: "If we can track people both in terms of electronic tagging and in future satellite tracking, we can avoid having to use that." He further said, "Asylum and immigration bill was the final phase of asylum reform."

The Asian Age - November 29, 2003

Food For Thought


True hope dwells on the possible, even when life seems to be a plot written by someone who wants to see how much adversity we can overcome.

Walter Anderson

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Not all of us have to possess earthshaking talent. Just commonsense and love will do.

- Myrtle Auvil

Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.

- Colin Powell