International   

Foreign ship crew safe: LTTE

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: The LTTE has informed the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in U.K. that the 25-member crew of the cargo ship that drifted into "LTTE waters" off Mullaittivu coast due to technical failure, was safe in Kilinochchi.

On Saturday, the Sri Lanka Government had claimed that Sea Tigers, in violation of international laws, had seized the ship and maintained that a distress signal from the ship indicated pirates had forcibly boarded it.

A statement put out by the Tamil Tigers on Sunday said that LTTE's U.N. liaison officer Pavarasan was in touch with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to facilitate safe passage to the crewmembers as the cargo ship was grounded.

Separately, the TamilNet said the Iraqi captain of the Jordanian-owned ship m.v. Farah III, Ramaz S. Abdul Jabbar, contacted the Jordanian ambassador in India on Sunday, from the Peace Secretariat of the LTTE in Kilinochchi, conveying the message of safety of his crewmembers.

Attack on Tiger base

Asked whether there has been any military standoff between the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sea Tigers, the captain of the ship told TamilNet: "This, I guess is all political. We are all safe and we have good cooperation here." It said the head of ICRC's sub-delegation in Vanni, Katja Lorenz, was present together with the captain and his crewmembers, when they talked to their national authorities and their families.

Further, it said LTTE combatants "successfully" repulsed on Saturday an attack by the army and its "collaborating paramilitary group" on the LTTE-held Karadiyanaru area. It said three army troopers were seriously injured while no one was injured on the Tigers' side.

Meanwhile, two houses, home gardens and paddies belonging to residents in Karadiyanaru area were damaged in the mortar firing launched by the Chenkalady SLA camp on Saturday. None of the inhabitants was hurt.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Russia to continue nuclear ties with Iran
Bill against IAEA
Foreign ship crew safe: LTTE
Olmert-Abbas meet raises peace hopes
Hasina-led coalition to take part in poll
First U.K. Hindu school
Niyazov laid to rest
"Plot'' to attack Channel tunnel
Climate sceptics issued with a challenge
Indonesian flood toll 87
Iraqi forces battle Shia militia
Ethiopia launches air strikes
India studying implications of Iran resolution

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu