Navy destroys 11 LTTE boats

Rafik Jalaldeen

TRINCOMALEE: The Navy destroyed 11 LTTE vessels in fierce battles lasting over five hours off the Polmoddai seas when it opened fire at a Tiger flotilla heading towards Vakarai.

At least 70 Sea Tigers were killed and scores injured in the clashes which began around 9.45 p.m. on Sunday, a spokesman for the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.

According to the spokesman, the Navy fast attack craft on patrol in the seas off Mullaitivu detected a cluster of 25 sea Tiger vessels headed from the direction of Alampai in the Mullaitivu area and proceeding towards Trincomalee.

"Once the LTTE flotilla reached Pulmoddai those in the Navy fast attack craft with the help of reinforcements which were rushed from the North and East Naval command successfully countered the LTTE fire," he added.

The clashes lasted for over five hours and at the end of the battle 11 LTTE boats were completely destroyed, with nine of them sunk and the other two ablaze, while the remaining 14 boats fled the scene in the face of heavy Navy fire, the MCNS spokesman said.

One Naval craft was slightly damaged and five sailors injured in the confrontation. One of the sailor was later airlifted to the Colombo National hospital, the spokesman said. According to the MCNS spokesman, the LTTE cadres had been led by Seliyan the third in command of the Sea Tigers. Seliyan was on board one of the badly damaged boats.

They believe that Seliyan might have either been killed or seriously injured. The Navy also believe that the Tigers could have been transporting heavy weapons, food and drink and additional reinforcements to Vakarai and Verugal areas where they were trounced by the Security Forces during the last four months, he added.

Throughout the confrontation the Air Force carried out air surveillance to ensure the LTTE attack was not a diversionary tactic in order to carry out unloading of weapons elsewhere on the Eastern coast, the MCNS spokesman pointed out.