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by Ananth Palakidnar and Ramani Kangaraarachchi

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission which has released its report on the attack on a Chinese fishing craft on March 20, 2003, has not been able to identify who carried out the attack. The LTTE and the Navy have both denied their involvement in the incident.

But the SLMM in its report says that the incident is nothing but a pure and simple terrorist act. Here is a brief analysis of the incident based on reports received:

The SLMM has stated that it was unable to identify the attackers precisely due to conflicting statements from the witnesses, but whoever has committed the attack, admitted that the SLMM was considering it as an act of terrorism.

The report, released on Friday, contains details of the investigations conducted with the Sea Tigers, navy and the survivors from the ill-fated Chinese fishing vessel. Among the nine survivors eight were Chinese nationals and one Sri Lankan.

The attack on the Chinese fishing vessel had taken place on Thursday March 20, 2003 at 4 a.m. According to eye witnesses the attack had lasted for an hour and there had been about eight boats fitted with outboard engines involved in it.

SLMM spokesman Teitur Tokelson told the Sunday Observer that one of the Sea Tiger commanders, Chelian had been questioned by the SLMM officials in Killinochi over the attack and he had denied the involvement of the Sea Tigers. "We also met the Naval officials and they said that there are possibilities of LTTE involvement in the attack. But the navy was unable to confirm the direct involvement of the LTTE. They only claimed that the LTTE was very capable of carrying out an attack of that nature," Tokelson said. Tokelson further said that it was the Sri Lankan survivor who had claimed that the attackers were speaking in the Tamil language.

Seventeen fishermen from the ill-fated fishing vessel were missing and eight bullet-ridden bodies were washed ashore in the coastal areas of Jaffna Peninsula last week. The bodies have been brought to Colombo and arrangements have been made to send them to China.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy which patrols the North-East waters to prevent terrorist activities, smuggling and encroachments of foreign fishing vessels, say that the Mullaitivu incident was unfortunate and that they regret the deaths of innocent Chinese fishermen who have been fishing in the area without realising the tense situation between the LTTE and the navy in the area.

The Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri making his observations on the attack on the Chinese fishing vessel said: "The Chinese fishing craft FU-Yung-Y 225 was earlier warned by the navy to keep within the Mullaitivu waters. The Navy had instructed the Chinese vessel to maintain a 50 mile distance from the Eastern coast, but the Chinese fishermen had ignored the warning and it was pity that they paid for it".

Expressing his views on providing security for fishing vessels in the area, the naval chief said that it was difficult to monitor every fishing craft and the navy had to be extremely vigilant of terrorist attacks on them.

Commander Sandagiri also said that the navy had apprehended several foreign fishing vessels frequently encroaching into the Sri Lankan waters and that there were ongoing tussles between the Sri Lankan and the Indian fishermen in the Northern waters. At the time of the attack on the Chinese vessel FU-YUNG-Y 225, there were four naval crafts including a fast attack craft patrolling the area with two SLMM monitors.

Naval sources said they are aware of the Board Of Investments's (BOI) approval for the Chinese vessels to engage in fishing in Sri Lankan waters. But on the particular day of the incident, the navy had not located the Chinese vessel when it came under attack.

It was after the attack that the navy had rushed to the spot and escorted the second Chinese fishing vessel which had escaped the attack and rescued the fishermen from the vessel which was attacked.

The Navy Commander says that it was a relief to note the SLMM report, as it has clearly stated that there was no involvement of navy in the incident. On the other hand, the naval chief says he has his reservations about the incident and did not wish to comment at this juncture.

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