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Colombo to target Tiger air wing

B. Muralidhar Reddy

E.U. to continue listing of the LTTE as terrorist organisation

COLOMBO: T he Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) asserted on Wednesday that its top priority is to destroy the nascent Tiger air wing.

Explaining the sequence of events leading to the intrusion of Tiger light aircraft close to the Palaly air base in the early hours of Monday, SLAF spokesman Ajantha Silva told a news conference here that only one light aircraft was involved in the abortive attempt and not two as claimed by the Tigers.

Six soldiers were killed and 13 wounded as the light aircraft dropped three bombs on a military camp near the Palaly air base. "Only one Tiger aircraft was flown in the operation [by the Tigers], not two as mentioned by them, and it was air-borne for about eight minutes," Capt. Silva told reporters.

He said anti-aircraft guns were directed at the Tiger aircraft, forcing it to turn back. He said ground troops also fired at the aircraft and might have inflicted some damage although they were unable to bring it down.

Home Guards killed

The spokesman said that though the SLAF has acquired night strike capability, the fighter jets could not be pressed into service as the Tiger aircraft was in the air space for only about eight minutes.

Separately, in Ampara district in the east, two home guards were killed in a claymore attack allegedly triggered by the Tigers. Meanwhile, the European Union (E.U.) has decided to continue with the categorisation of the LTTE as a terrorist outfit.

The decision to continue with the existing "terrorist list" of persons, groups and entities including the Tamil Tigers was taken by the Council of E.U. at its two-day meeting in Luxembourg on April 23 and 24.

A statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting said that the Council determined that there was no reason for review of the list.

It said that the parties concerned would be informed via a "statement of reasons" of the specific information that forms the basis for the Council's decision and provided 30 days time to seek a review.

However, the statements of reasons will not be made available to the public unless the Council receives the agreement of the person, group or entity concerned. "For those whose address is unknown, a notice will be published in the Official Journal which will indicate that they may submit a request to the Council to obtain its statement of reasons for maintaining them on the list", it said.

The EU Council regulation 2580/2001 provides for a freezing of all funds, other financial assets and economic resources belonging to the persons or entities in the terrorist list.

The measures include freezing of funds and other financial assets or economic resources of the persons and entities specified.

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