International truce monitors ‘temporarily’ suspended its monitoring of the waters around Sri Lanka Saturday after a clash between the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) and the Sea Tigers left over 20 sailors and LTTE cadres dead.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Missions (SLMM) decision was a temporary one, made after increased pressure from the Nordic countries that feared for the safety of their citizens on board SLN vessels, reports said.
The development came in the wake of fresh clashes at sea between the Sea Tigers and the SLN in which the latter lost two Dvora gunboats.
The presence of an SLMM monitor on board a ship charted by the SLN to transport Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers which was trapped by Sea Tiger probably saved the ship and the lives of at least 700 military personnel in the seas off Vadamaradchi East.
Amid the sea clash the SLMM said in a statement that the “sea surrounding Sri Lanka is a Government Controlled area. Non-state actors cannot rule open sea waters or airspace. The LTTE has therefore no rights at sea.”
It also ruled that “the LTTE have committed gross violations of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in recent days by moving at sea with the aim of provoking the Sri Lankan navy and now finally embarking on an offensive operation against the navy sinking one vessel and putting SLMM monitors in grave danger.”
But the LTTE disputed this description of the arrangements at sea and rejected the SLMM’s condemnation.
“We like to point out to you that you are contradicting your own earlier statement that Sea Tigers are part of the balance of power and therefore must have the right to carry out training and exercises,” Mr S P Tamilselvan, the head of the LTTE’s political wing, said in a letter, citing an earlier SLMM ruling.
The MV “Pearl Cruiser”, a merchant vessel used by the SLN to transport men and materials by sea, had started off from Trincomalee in the morning with 710 security personnel on board and was provided security by a convoy of four “Dvora” Fast attack craft.
LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said the SLN Dvoras had interrupted some Sea Tiger boats training in waters alongside LTTE controlled territory. Some press reports quoted the SLMM as saying the LTTE attacked the convoy without provocation.
“Our monitors saw several Tiger boats attacking the transporter ship and firing,” said Helen Olafsdottir, spokeswoman for the SLMM. “We have a monitor on that boat. A government Dvora has been sunk," she added as reports of the clash reached Colombo.
One Dvora was destroyed and sank in the seas off Vettilaikerny. Another damaged was and fled towards Army-controlled Point Pedro at the top of the Jaffna peninsula. The military later said the second craft had sunk off the coast near Kudarappu. There were reportedly fifteen sailors and two officers on the first Dvora that was sunk.
The MV Pearl Cruiser fled into international waters and the Sea Tigers did not pursue it there. Sri Lanka had reportedly asked for the Indian Coast Guard to provide the vessel with protection.
Meanwhile, the remaining two Dvoras returned the to attack and were joined by Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter gunships. One Sea Tiger boat was sunk, killing four LTTE cadres and another two were wounded in the confrontation. The military claimed that 50 Sea Tigers had been killed, but the LTTE denied this.
The LTTE had previously warned that any hostile acts in the areas of seas under their control would be retaliated against. They had also warned the SLMM that by boarding SLN ships, they were being used as human shields by the SLN.
“We have warned and requested the SLMM Naval Monitors to refrain from boarding SLN vessels,” said Mr Tamilselvan’s letter, annexing three letters previously sent to the SLMM.
“In spite of this and in spite of our warning, the SLMM has put its naval monitors at risk to provide protection to SLN vessels. At the same time, the SLMM has not provided protection to our fighters and our naval vessels. Even worse, the SLMM has ruled this incident a CFA violation against us,” said the letter.
“We entered the peace process based on a status-quo achieved in the battlefield in our territory. Nobody has the right to pass judgement on the sovereign rights of our access to the adjacent sea and airspace of our homeland,” Mr Tamilselvan told the head of the SLMM, Major General Ulf Henricsson, reiterating the LTTE’s stance, at a meeting Friday.
This was repeated by Colonel Soosai, the head of the Sea Tigers. “We have openly established our control, and have unequivocally asserted our rights to maritime waters adjoining our homeland, in the same way we recovered and control large areas of northeast.”
“We are not prepared to relinquish sovereign rights to the seas which we have won with the sacrifice of our people,” he told reporters when he met the press soon after the confrontation.
At the same time as the confrontation between the Sea Tigers and the Dvoras, heavy artillery fire was reported in Nagarkovil area in Vadamardchi East where Sri Lanka Army had moved in a large number of troops during the curfew on Monday.
Meanwhile, around 30 rounds of artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire hit LTTE controlled Sampoor area in Trincomalee East from Sri Lanka Army base in Monkey Bridge.
The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) retaliated for the Dvoras’ sinkings by bombing the suburbs of Kilinochchi. Kfir jets bombed the Vanni at least 8 times. Many civilians fled the areas.
Separately, in Trincomalee, SLN boats Thursday had entered LTTE controlled coastal area in Muttur east where ten boats of the Sea Tigers were engaged in training exercises. Despite the warnings issued by the Tigers, the naval boats with SLMM officials on board, had approached the LTTE controlled area in Muttur east and reports indicate sounds of mortar and gun in the seas were heard from the seas.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Missions (SLMM) decision was a temporary one, made after increased pressure from the Nordic countries that feared for the safety of their citizens on board SLN vessels, reports said.
The development came in the wake of fresh clashes at sea between the Sea Tigers and the SLN in which the latter lost two Dvora gunboats.
The presence of an SLMM monitor on board a ship charted by the SLN to transport Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers which was trapped by Sea Tiger probably saved the ship and the lives of at least 700 military personnel in the seas off Vadamaradchi East.
Amid the sea clash the SLMM said in a statement that the “sea surrounding Sri Lanka is a Government Controlled area. Non-state actors cannot rule open sea waters or airspace. The LTTE has therefore no rights at sea.”
It also ruled that “the LTTE have committed gross violations of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in recent days by moving at sea with the aim of provoking the Sri Lankan navy and now finally embarking on an offensive operation against the navy sinking one vessel and putting SLMM monitors in grave danger.”
But the LTTE disputed this description of the arrangements at sea and rejected the SLMM’s condemnation.
“We like to point out to you that you are contradicting your own earlier statement that Sea Tigers are part of the balance of power and therefore must have the right to carry out training and exercises,” Mr S P Tamilselvan, the head of the LTTE’s political wing, said in a letter, citing an earlier SLMM ruling.
The MV “Pearl Cruiser”, a merchant vessel used by the SLN to transport men and materials by sea, had started off from Trincomalee in the morning with 710 security personnel on board and was provided security by a convoy of four “Dvora” Fast attack craft.
LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said the SLN Dvoras had interrupted some Sea Tiger boats training in waters alongside LTTE controlled territory. Some press reports quoted the SLMM as saying the LTTE attacked the convoy without provocation.
“Our monitors saw several Tiger boats attacking the transporter ship and firing,” said Helen Olafsdottir, spokeswoman for the SLMM. “We have a monitor on that boat. A government Dvora has been sunk," she added as reports of the clash reached Colombo.
One Dvora was destroyed and sank in the seas off Vettilaikerny. Another damaged was and fled towards Army-controlled Point Pedro at the top of the Jaffna peninsula. The military later said the second craft had sunk off the coast near Kudarappu. There were reportedly fifteen sailors and two officers on the first Dvora that was sunk.
The MV Pearl Cruiser fled into international waters and the Sea Tigers did not pursue it there. Sri Lanka had reportedly asked for the Indian Coast Guard to provide the vessel with protection.
Meanwhile, the remaining two Dvoras returned the to attack and were joined by Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter gunships. One Sea Tiger boat was sunk, killing four LTTE cadres and another two were wounded in the confrontation. The military claimed that 50 Sea Tigers had been killed, but the LTTE denied this.
The LTTE had previously warned that any hostile acts in the areas of seas under their control would be retaliated against. They had also warned the SLMM that by boarding SLN ships, they were being used as human shields by the SLN.
“We have warned and requested the SLMM Naval Monitors to refrain from boarding SLN vessels,” said Mr Tamilselvan’s letter, annexing three letters previously sent to the SLMM.
“In spite of this and in spite of our warning, the SLMM has put its naval monitors at risk to provide protection to SLN vessels. At the same time, the SLMM has not provided protection to our fighters and our naval vessels. Even worse, the SLMM has ruled this incident a CFA violation against us,” said the letter.
“We entered the peace process based on a status-quo achieved in the battlefield in our territory. Nobody has the right to pass judgement on the sovereign rights of our access to the adjacent sea and airspace of our homeland,” Mr Tamilselvan told the head of the SLMM, Major General Ulf Henricsson, reiterating the LTTE’s stance, at a meeting Friday.
This was repeated by Colonel Soosai, the head of the Sea Tigers. “We have openly established our control, and have unequivocally asserted our rights to maritime waters adjoining our homeland, in the same way we recovered and control large areas of northeast.”
“We are not prepared to relinquish sovereign rights to the seas which we have won with the sacrifice of our people,” he told reporters when he met the press soon after the confrontation.
At the same time as the confrontation between the Sea Tigers and the Dvoras, heavy artillery fire was reported in Nagarkovil area in Vadamardchi East where Sri Lanka Army had moved in a large number of troops during the curfew on Monday.
Meanwhile, around 30 rounds of artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire hit LTTE controlled Sampoor area in Trincomalee East from Sri Lanka Army base in Monkey Bridge.
The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) retaliated for the Dvoras’ sinkings by bombing the suburbs of Kilinochchi. Kfir jets bombed the Vanni at least 8 times. Many civilians fled the areas.
Separately, in Trincomalee, SLN boats Thursday had entered LTTE controlled coastal area in Muttur east where ten boats of the Sea Tigers were engaged in training exercises. Despite the warnings issued by the Tigers, the naval boats with SLMM officials on board, had approached the LTTE controlled area in Muttur east and reports indicate sounds of mortar and gun in the seas were heard from the seas.
