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Sri Lankan Rebels Engage In Terror- Piracy
Sri Lankan Rebels Engaging in Terror-Piracy
An explosion in sea-going attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) has made Sri Lankan waters extremely dangerous.
Their Sea Tiger wing, which has always been a force to be reckoned
with, seems to have gone on a major offensive. The Sea Tigers are
commandeering ships. In some cases crew members have been
killed. Many of the crew who escaped death remain captives of the
rebels.
The maritime campaign had its genesis more than a year ago, but it
has gotten into gear since July. In April 1996 last year, the LTTE
staged an abortive attack against the Colombo port and damaged at
least three foreign-owned ships. There were no casualties among
foreigners but nine Tigers perished in the suicide attack. In August
of 1996 the rebels blasted a Philippine-registered cargo ship, the
M. V. Princess Wave with underwater explosives while it was
loading mineral sand at Pulmoddai. No one was killed.
Among the major targets in the most recent maritime campaign,
which has been on-going since early July, have been a 500-seat
passenger ferry (MV Misan, Indonesian flagged), a merchant ship
(3,000-ton cargo vessel MV Morang Bong, Korean flagged), the
MV Cordiality and fleets of smaller craft, such as fishing vessels.
Dozens of crewmen, fishermen and fishing boats have been held
hostage. The Misan was burned by the rebels, the Morang Bong
was returned to the North Korean government through the Red
Cross after weeks of negotiations.
In late August a ship loaded with of tens of thousands of mortar
shells bound for Sri Lanka was reported missing in the Indian
Ocean. The unregistered ship carrying 32,400 of 81mm mortar
bombs, disappeared between Madagascar and Sri Lanka. The exact
circumstances were unclear by investigators speculated that the
Stillus Limmasul, flying a Greek national flag, could have been
intercepted and hijacked by separatist rebels of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In addition to the piracy theory
there was also speculation the craft could have been a "phantom
ship." Far eastern media reported that the LTTE rebels are known
to own five ships, operating under three international shipping
companies in Greece, Cyprus and Panama.
Any vessel in northern Sri Lankan waters is a potential target of the
insurgents. Palk Bay, a strip of sea separating Sri Lanka and India's
southern Tamil Nadu state, is a particularly dangerous area for
small craft. It is is patrolled by the Sri Lankan navy and prowled by
high-powered boats belonging to the LTTE's sea wing. Vessels in
the area also stand the chance of unfriendly encounters with Sri
Lankan air patrols which are attempting to halt the piratical attacks.
On July 24 government gunboats intercepted a convoy of more than
two-dozen rebel craft and fought a major sea battle--the type of
battle where identification of friend and foe is often difficult and
transient shipping could become embroiled through no fault of the
civilian captains.
In mid-summer 32 Muslim fishermen and 22 boats were taken
hostage. On September 1st the LTTE struck again and captured a
group of Indian fishermen and their boats. They said they would
free a hostage and some boats if India supplied gasoline, diesel and
battery cells to the rebel forces.
On Sept. 9 the foreign-registered MV Cordiality, a 60,000-ton ore-
carrying vessel, was attacked before dawn while anchored a half-
mile off the coast at Pulmoddai, north of the Indian Ocean island's
eastern port of Trincomalee. The rebels attacked the vessel from
three directions while it was loading 29,000 tons of ilmenite. Tamil
Tigers reportedly killed 33 crew members and wounded another 17.
Navy gunboats patrolling near Trincomalee, 155 miles northeast of
the capital, Colombo, went to aid the embattled ore- carrier. They
battled 15 Tamil rebel gunboats for three hours before driving them
off. The government claimed four rebel craft sunk and said three
others were damaged. The ship's accommodation quarters and
engine room were reportedly razed by fire and the ship was flooded
and was listing by the stern. Rocket-propelled grenades started the
engine room fire.
The LTTE is also known to be preparing mine attacks. While one
in July was thwarted, there is no guarantee that it will possible for
the government to prevent all uses of mines in Sri Lankan waters.
Shipping planning on using, or being in the vicinity of
Trincomalee, should take special care.
c1992-1997 Vantage Systems, Inc., Hamilton, MT (406) 961-8451
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