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Cease-fire monitors rule out Lanka Navy abduction of rebels
Colombo, June 26: European cease-fire monitors today said there was no evidence to indicate that the Navy had abducted 12 Tamil Tiger rebels when their ship sank in a clash with the Sri Lankan Navy.
Colombo, June 26: European cease-fire monitors today said there was no evidence to indicate that the Navy had abducted 12 Tamil Tiger rebels when their ship sank in a clash with the Sri Lankan Navy.
Deputy head of the Norwegian-led monitoring team Hagrup Haukland said the missing crewmen "could either be dead or could have escaped."
The Tigers claimed the Navy sank a rebel oil tanker, suspected of smuggling weapons, in international waters on June 14 and abducted its 12 crew members. They asked international cease-fire monitors to investigate the incident and threatened the Navy with retaliation.
The Navy said it did not attack the vessel and believes that the rebel crew died after blowing up their own ship to avoid being caught smuggling arms.
"There is no proof to point that the Navy is holding any crewmen," Haukland said after a two-week investigation. He added that there was no trace of the skirmish at locations mentioned by the Navy and the rebels. "There were no survivors nor bodies to be found, which is very strange."
Haukland said the crew may have been aboard a 15 meter speedboat that escaped during the skirmish, or might have perished in the explosion.
Norway brokered a cease-fire between the two sides in February 2002 and is leading the monitoring of that truce, which remains in place despite the breakdown of peace talks.
Under the cease-fire agreement, the two parties cannot transport or carry weapons in areas held by the other.
Bureau Report
The Tigers claimed the Navy sank a rebel oil tanker, suspected of smuggling weapons, in international waters on June 14 and abducted its 12 crew members. They asked international cease-fire monitors to investigate the incident and threatened the Navy with retaliation.
The Navy said it did not attack the vessel and believes that the rebel crew died after blowing up their own ship to avoid being caught smuggling arms.
"There is no proof to point that the Navy is holding any crewmen," Haukland said after a two-week investigation. He added that there was no trace of the skirmish at locations mentioned by the Navy and the rebels. "There were no survivors nor bodies to be found, which is very strange."
Haukland said the crew may have been aboard a 15 meter speedboat that escaped during the skirmish, or might have perished in the explosion.
Norway brokered a cease-fire between the two sides in February 2002 and is leading the monitoring of that truce, which remains in place despite the breakdown of peace talks.
Under the cease-fire agreement, the two parties cannot transport or carry weapons in areas held by the other.
Bureau Report