Tiger bid to reach Pesalai from Vidattaltivu foiled

Rafik Jalaldeen

The Navy foiled an LTTE bid to reach Pesalai from Vidattaltivu in a cluster of boats in the seas off Mannar early yesterday. Four LTTE cadres were killed and three others captured alive during the confrontation, Navy spokesman Commander D.P.K. Dassanayake said.

The Navy Inshore Patrol Craft had detected the cluster of boats moving suspiciously towards Pesalai North from Vidattaltivu around 4.30 a.m.

“The Naval IPCs detected strong echoes on its radar and moved to apprehend the movements in restricted waters,” Commander Dassanayake said.

The Naval patrol had come under LTTE attack. “When the Naval patrol approached the suspicious boats, it drew fire from the boats to IPCs. A firefight erupted for 30 minutes in the sea,” he added.

He reiterated that the Naval patrol successfully repulsed the Tiger attack and facing defeat, LTTE boats retreated in their boats to Vidattaltivu leaving a boat.

Following the incident, Naval patrol launched a search operation and spotted a drifting dingy boat fixed to two out mortars. “Four bodies and three LTTEers were found in the drifting boat. The three survivors were handed over to the Thalaimannar police,” the Commander said.