Naval cargo vessel under attack; sailors escape

By Ananth Palakidnar

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A 70-metre long cargo vessel came under attack at 2.15 a.m. yesterday at the Naval harbour in Trincomalee. The sailors on board at the time of the attack escaped without any injury, according to Navy spokesperson Commander D. K. P. Dassanayake.

Commander Dassanayake told the Sunday Observer that when the vessel came under attack by the Sea Tigers it was anchored in the harbour and did not contain any cargo. “The vessel which weighs around 5,000 tonnes and 70 metres in length sank after the attack”, the Navy spokesperson said.

He said that this particular vessel was apprehended by the Navy in Lankan waters with 254 people on board when she was involved in human trafficking in 2003. The ship was later confiscated by the Navy following a court order. In 2005 the vessel was also badly damaged due to the tsunami waves when it was anchored in Galle in 2004. However, it was repaired and used by the Navy.

“We believe the attack was carried out by an LTTE suicide squad under water, due to frustration that it could not bring its lethal cargo into Lankan waters,” Commander Dassanayake said.

Meanwhile, police in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu seized a massive haul of explosive items in 85 gunny bags and arrested five persons who attempted to smuggle them to Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The gunny bags contained detonators, gelignite sticks, wires and various other explosive items.

The suspects who are being currently grilled by the Rameswaram police said that they were taking them to the LTTE at the time the police nabbed them on the Rameswaram high seas.

Investigations are also being carried out to track down the smuggling network that operates between the LTTE and Rameswaram despite the stringent security measures in place to prevent LTTE links with South India.