Tamil Nadu probes sale of diesel to Tigers

An inquiry has been ordered by the Tamil Nadu fisheries department into alleged sale of over 1,000 litres of diesel by local fishermen to banned LTTE at midsea off this coastal town, officials said on Saturday.

According to officials, 60 fishermen, who had put out to sea from here along with others in around 500 boats in the wee hours of yesterday, allegedly met LTTE cadres who came in four boats and handed over 20 litres of diesel each at a premium price (thrice the price in India).

The other fishermen brought it to the notice of the fisheries officials, they said. Assistant Director of Fisheries Velpandian told reporters that those found guilty in the inquiry would be arrested and prosecuted and the licence for their boats would be cancelled.

They would also be not given diesel supplied by the department to fishermen.

Meanwhile, India has assured Sri Lanka that it will look into Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake’s claim of increased LTTE activities along the Tamil Nadu coast.

“We do not have any such information. We will however discuss the matter with the Government of Sri Lanka and take appropriate action based on the information provided by the government,” Indian High Commission Spokesman, Dinkar Asthana, said.

The spokesman was reacting to Wickramanayake’s statement in Parliament earlier this week that the activities of the Tigers had risen along the coast of the southern Indian state. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister made a mention of this while initiating the debate on extension of the emergency in the country for another month.

He said the Navy was able to intercept an LTTE boat carrying accessories for helicopters and remote controlled aircraft recently.

The Foreign Office officials here in the recent past have maintained that Indian government had been told about the concerns of Sri Lanka regarding LTTE’s alleged links in south India. The Hindu