Tamil Tiger guerrillas on Sunday accused the Sri Lankan navy of hostile and provocative action by attacking fishermen and violating a 10-week ceasefire. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in a statement that two fishermen were killed while another 36 swam to safety after navy craft fired indiscriminately and sank several boats on Wednesday.
The shooting off the coast of Vakarai in the east of the island was the first major incident at sea since the LTTE and security forces began observing a Norwegian-backed truce on February 23.
Sri Lanka's defence ministry had charged that a rebel boat packed with ammunition blew up as the navy was about to search it while naval craft had come under fire from a flotilla of rebel boats. The LTTE rejected Sri Lankan navy claims that the fishing trawlers were involved in arms smuggling.
This is a ludicrous lie fabricated by the naval authorities to justify their atrocities against innocent fishermen, the LTTE statement said.
The defence ministry however insists the guerrillas were moving weapons and ammunition under the cover of fishermen. The incident provoked wide-spread concern with the US on Friday warning the tigers against scuttling the best chance.
For a permanent peace in the embattled nation by smuggling weapons.
US ambassador Ashley Wills said he hoped there would be no repetition of the gunbattle on Wednesday between navy gunboats and a Tiger flotilla suspected to be smuggling arms and ammunition to the island's east.
Bureau Report