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Mission for weapons ends in suicide
The Tiger guerrilla trawler that figured in an 18-hour drama off the Delft Island after the Navy seized it whilst being towed by another boat was one of many that had headed to deep seas some 150 nautical miles off Sri Lanka to unload military hardware from a ship.

Together with another trawler, they have been in the deep seas off Mullaitivu when it developed engine trouble. It had drifted in the sea whilst the remaining one proceeded. Later, a Sea Tiger boat with 12 cadres had been sent from a base near Mullaitivu to tow the trawler to a base in Nachchikuda, skirting around the Jaffna peninsula. This has been done to avoid drawing attention of Naval patrols whilst being towed to the Mullaitivu area.

Near the Delft Island, a Navy patrol had intercepted both the tow boat and the trawler. The incident had occurred on Thursday afternoon. The Navy with Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission members on board had searched the tow boat and released it together with the 12 member crew after nothing incriminating was found. However, controversy had developed when the Navy had tried to do a thorough search of the trawler. Three Sea Tiger cadres on board had not allowed the Navy. The SLMM members had been advised by their Colombo office not to board the vessel.

However, instructions for SLMM members to board the trawler arrived on Friday morning from Berlin where peace talks were under way. But soon after they boarded and later reported they had found warlike material, the three cadres on board set fire to the trawler. Later, the main person who wore a suicide jacket, drew his two colleagues closer and exploded himself. All three were killed.

See Situation Report by Iqbal Athas on P. 11 for a detailed account of the latest attempt by the LTTE to smuggle military hardware.

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