Colombo, Mar 26: Sri Lankan defence officials and European truce monitors held talks today on how to avoid deadly sea battles between the government and Tamil rebels that could threaten their ceasefire agreement, officials said. A March 10 clash between the Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lanka's Navy killed 11 guerrillas and sank their vessel, which was suspected of smuggling arms. On March 21, 15 Chinese and two Sri Lankans were killed off the island's east coast when their fishing vessel came under attack by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels. Officials say the vessel may have been mistaken for a Navy boat. The Tigers deny responsibility. "We discussed ... mechanisms that can be put in place to avert confrontations at sea," said Hagrup Haukland, deputy head of the Norwegian-led peace monitors. Issues discussed today included increasing the number of sea monitors, and making sure they're told when sea movements take place, Haukland said.
The team currently has 46 monitors from Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway.
"We need to have more monitors on land and at sea to be more successful," he said, "some of the most serious clashes during the last year have been at sea."
Both sides agreed in talks last week to hold meetings aimed at preventing clashes at sea.
They're scheduled to meet on April 24 in the neutral territory of Omanthai, about 215 km north of the capital Colombo. Bureau Report