‘Captain Ali’ to return home

CHAMINDA PERERA and RAFIK JALALDEEN

The Government yesterday ordered the crew of ‘Captain Ali’ which brought food stuff destined for the LTTE terrorists to sail the ship away from the country’s territorial waters without unloading cargo.

According to Acting spokesman of the Sri Lanka Navy Captain Mahes Karunaratne, the Navy has provided special security to the ship till it returns to the international maritime boundaries.

Investigation into this Syrian ship which was hired by the LTTE activists in the UK completed yesterday and the Government has ordered the ship to return to its destination.

A businessman in Colombo who is expected to take over the cargo of the ship was arrested by a special police team on Saturday and the ship was throughly checked by the Sri Lanka Navy in the sea off Panadura.

The controversial ship MV ‘Captain Ali’ carrying unauthorized cargo collected by a pro-LTTE organization in Europe supposedly to be distributed to the IDPs in the Wanni was intercepted by Naval Patrol 160 km west of Colombo at around 4 a.m. on Thursday. The vessel sailing under the Syrian flag had a crew of 15 including an Iceland national.