India quizzes fishermen on Tiger links

At least five of the 24 fishermen handed over to Indian Coast Guard officials by the Sri Lankan Navy are being interrogated for allegedly smuggling contraband to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), police said yesterday.

The five fishermen belong to three inland districts of Tamil Nadu. The Indian fishermen had been jailed in Sri Lanka on May 14 following their arrest in Palk Bay by the Sri Lankan Navy, an official press communique said. Sri Lankan officials claimed that the fishermen were supplying contraband to the banned LTTE, a charge denied by the Indian fishermen. IANS