LTTE's heightened sea movements, a security concern
War and Peace
The Defence Diary by Ranga Jayasuriya
Once, in the height of Eelam war, the Tigers lured three Navy gunboats in
to a fatal trap. A flotilla of sea Tiger boats were sailing in the shallow
see off the Mullaitivu coast and an heightened activity could also been seen
in the coast.
The Israeli built Dvora gunboats moved closer to the coast to take on the
sea Tiger boats. But, without knowledge of the sailors aboard, the gunboats
were moving towards a well hatched LTTE trap. As it was revealed later there
was a Main Battle Tank, one captured from the Mullaituvu attack, buried
under the land bordering the coast with only its gun directed at the sea.
As the gunboats approached the effective fire range of the MBT, it
directed a volley of fire. Only after two gunboats were blasted in the tank
fire, the Commander manning the third gunboat could sense the enemy trap. In
a desperate escape, he hurriedly withdrew the gunboat to the deep sea, away
from the effective range of the MBT. Later, the Air Force assistance was
called to engaged with the MBT.
On Friday, it could have been the repetition of the mistake of fatal
consequences. Five Navy Water Jets patrolling in the seas off North Western
waters intercepted four LTTE boats near Kudiramalai, Kalpittiya. The boats
were mingling with fishing boats and when ordered to stop, directed fire at
the naval crafts.
The Navy retaliation saw one LTTE boat exploding in a huge ball of fire.
Judging by the explosion, the Navy suspects the destroyed boat could have
been a suicide craft. "Definitely there must have been a lot of explosives
inside the boat," said one Naval officer.
The rest of LTTE crafts retreated to the ashore near Kudiramalai point
amid Navy fire. When the naval patrol crafts chasing the LTTE come closer
the coast, the sailors could see a truck fitted with a long range heavy
weapon, suspected to be 30 mm anti-air craft gun on the coast.
It could either have been called for the protection of sea Tiger boats.
But, Navy officers suspected that it was a trap. Anyway it was suicidal to
approach the boats as the effective firing range of the heavy weapon is
approximately 5000 meters where as Navy Water Jets are fitted with guns
which could fire no more than 1500 meters.
The sea Tiger boats were luring the patrol crafts to approach the coast.
The air force assistance was called. Ukrainian built Two MI 24 gun ships
took the target. But, it is not clear whether the heavy weapon was
destroyed. The pilots have said they saw the truck was on the fire.
The sailors aboard Naval crafts have also seen "some smoke and fire". But
after fire caused by air strike subsided, the sailors have seen the LTTE
cadres dragging the gun. According to their evidence, the gun could have
been partially destroyed, but not fully. Meanwhile, the three sea Tiger
boats fled the scene and beached in Palugasthurai, near Kudiramalai.
The Kidiramalai point bordering the Wilpattu jungles is part of the
government controlled areas, as identified in the Ceasefire Agreement.
However, due to the absence of security forces patrol in the jungle area,
the LTTE infiltration has been noted, though that does not mean the Tiger
have bases there, according to intelligence sources.
There were reports on Friday about security forces search operation was
on in the Wilpattu area. Reports however could not be verified.
There is a marked increase in the movement of the sea Tigers in the
recent week despite coordinated air, naval and artillery strike on Sampur,
and the sea Tiger bases there last week were reported to have caused heavy
damage.
The LTTE early this week said sea Tigers had completed a sea transport of
its cadres from the East to Mullaitivu on Sunday. This had been refuted by
the Navy as a nonevent.
The pro-LTTE Tamilnet website reported that a group of Eastern Tiger
cadres had been ferried from the East to Mullaitivu escorted by armed sea
Tiger boats.
They also said Eastern Tiger commanders were not aboard the boats adding
that modalities for their transport were being worked out between the
government and the LTTE.
But the security forces had dismissed the claim as part of psy-ops and
propaganda by the LTTE. Indeed, the Navy has increased patrols and has been
put on operational alert since the Tigers stepped up violence.
However, there had been two confrontations in Sunday evening and the
following day between the Navy gunboats and sea Tigers these were the same
days the Tigers claim they ferried Eastern cadres to Mullaitivu.
On Sunday, the Navy engaged a several sea Tiger boats in
Kokilai-Kokkuthuduwai. The sea Tiger boats withdrew under heavy fire by
Dvora gunboats, supported by artillery fire from ground forces. On the
following day, a sea Tiger boat was destroyed and four escaped, when the
Navy gunboats attacked sea Tigers off the Foul point, Trincomalee. Four
sailors were injured in the confrontation.
The sea Tiger movement is generally concentrated in the shallow sea off
Mullaitivu whether there are the main sea Tiger bases. But, the sea Tiger
activities have also been reported in the seas off Sampur as well as the
Northern Western waters off Kalpitiya. The Navy, right now has a zero
tolerance policy against the sea Tiger movements in all areas other than
Mullaitivu, where the movement of sea Tigers is kept at check.
The obligation of the security forces under the truce agreement, not to
engage in offensive operations against the LTTE it the reason for restrain.
The Ceasefire Agreement, however, states that the sea is the sole
authority of the Sri Lankan government. The Head of the Sri Lankan
Monitoring Mission Ulf Henricsson told the Sunday Observer that sea
movements of the LTTE are a breach of the ceasefire agreement. Indeed, the
SLMM has ruled against a number of sea Tiger movements.
(See our interview with Mr Henricsson).
The LTTE has, since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement been
insisting on the modalities for sea movement of its cadres.
During the Wickremesinghe Administration, the government and the LTTE
agreed on arrangements to ferry LTTE cadres between the East and Wanni. The
arrangements stipulate that unarmed LTTE cadres in civilian clothes should
travel in LTTE vessels sailing under the SLMM flag with ceasefire monitors
aboard the vessels, and escorted or monitored by the Navy vessels which
should keep a certain minimum distance from the LTTE vessels.
These arrangements have gradually been suspended as confidence between
the two parties declined with the Tigers stepping up violence. There were
allegations that the sea movements under these arrangements, were used to
transport crack units from the Wanni to crush renegade Karuna cadres.
LTTE Trincomalee political chief has insisted on right for sea Tigers to
have sea access between their bases.
According to the International Law, none state actors could not have
authority either in sea or air space, which are exclusive terrains of the
sovereign states. This is where the LTTE got mixed up facts. This over
estimation of its clout made its proposals for Internal Self Governing
Authority (ISGA) non-negotiationable.
One proposal in the ISGA was control of offshore resources and means and
right to access them. In other words, had it been implemented, it would have
given birth to the third Army in the Palk Strait. No wonder, the ISGA could
not make any success.
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