Plain sailing this time for 'Elephant' Rajahs

The boisterous 'elephant' Rajahs might have been offloaded by the national airline's captain who was rightly concerned about the safety of the flight from Colombo to London and the convenience of the other passengers.

But in London where the elephant herd cannot be corralled what with their donations to dear Cameron's party, the Rajahs once more boarded a Sri Lankan Airlines aircraft. But this time at the airline's makeshift office at the World Travel Market held last week.

In walked the Big Rajah with six or seven others in tow. Watching this, Sri Lankan tour agents from Colombo and London, sarcastically recalled Marlon Brando in 'The Godfather'. They had a closed door pow-wow with the Big Chief just like that, while Sri Lankan travel agents who had asked for a meeting with Chief Sitting Bull last year were given short shrift then.

"The other day they took over the entire business class. Now they seem to have taken over the whole airline," said one referring to the fact the elephant is likely to take over the GSA of SriLankan Airlines in Britain with a retired Sri Lankan Airlines staffer who the Emirates had once demoted, due to take over as the head honcho of the GSA. No wonder they were all celebrating.

But some of those who were at the WTM said several of the eight Sri Lankan travel agents boycotted the Chairman's cocktail and dinner at the Grange Hotel. Some attended because they wanted to have a few words with the Chairman about the manner in which the airline is run.

The Chairman, however, it appears was not particularly interested in their woes. He is supposed to have said he has bigger problems.

So what was he doing in London then attending WTM, asked some. Maybe he came to apologise to the Big Rajahs for the behaviour of a recalcitrant airline captain who taught those uncultured bozos that money cannot always move mountains or even aircraft.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne was on pilgrimage to the revered Tirupathy temple in Andhra Pradesh this week.

A 300- strong riot police squad was deployed to provide security to Premier Jayaratne.