The Hindu : Front Page : Red alert sounded along Tamil Nadu coast

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 22, 2007
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Red alert sounded along Tamil Nadu coast

S. Vijay Kumar and
R.K. Radhakrishnan

Intelligence on more `hibernating' LTTE suicide boats for Sri Lankan targets

CRUCIAL MEETING: D. Mukherjee, DGP, Tamil Nadu (left), L.K. Tripathy, Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu, and Major General B. Sivasankar, GOC, ATNKK Area, at the Civil Military Liaison conference in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

MADURAI/CHENNAI: Intelligence experts estimate that 15 suicide mission boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are `hibernating' in the waters between India and Sri Lanka.

They are of the opinion that these are not aimed at India; the LTTE, perhaps, hopes a repeat of the Kattunayake airport strike, this time at a major seaport.

For, the Sea Tigers are under growing pressure from the Sri Lankan Navy. The Indian waters, once considered safe for hibernating vessels, are no longer so, with the Coast Guard and the Navy having stepped up their presence in the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Both the Coast Guard and the Navy have `smart patrolling plans.' They follow it up with real-time intelligence sharing at the unit level.

A red alert has been sounded along the Tamil Nadu coastline following the detection of large quantities of explosives concealed in a boat seized by the Coast Guard. According to information available now, the boat was packed with Trinitrotoluene (TNT) mixed with RDX and not just with TNT. This was to multiply the impact of the explosion, police sources said. The investigators have found that the suspects on the "suicide mission" were not aware of the target. "Instructions were given over satellite phone at regular intervals. The most probable target was the Colombo Port or Sri Lankan warships. The details of calls made/received over the satellite phone are being verified by the intelligence agencies," he said.

Asked why the suspects did not open fire when the Coast Guard intercepted them off the Kodiakarai coast on February 13, the official said: "They were under instructions not to retaliate when encountered by Indian security personnel."

Liaison meeting

On Wednesday, Director-General of Police D. Mukherjee briefed a Civil Military Liaison conference (in which top State Government and defence officers stationed here take part), on the law an order situation in the State. In Ramanathapuram, the police arrested six persons who helped in transporting aluminium ingots to Sri Lanka.

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