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Monitors held by LTTE

by Ranga Jayasuriya

Two members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) were held aboard an LTTE vessel against their will in the waters off Jaffna late on Saturday night, the Mission's spokesman Teitur Torkelsson told the Daily News.

The act was described by SLMM Chief Gen. Trond Furuhovde as "a serious violation of the Ceasefire Agreement and a major blow to the trust of the SLMM in the LTTE."

Furuhovde added in a statement released last evening "this kind of behaviour is extremely counterproductive to the success we have had so far. After this irresponsible behaviour it is clear that the LTTE will have a lot to do in rebuilding people's confidence in them."

The incident took place after the Navy intercepted two suspected trawlers entering Sri Lanka's territorial waters in Palk Bay, south of the Jaffna peninsula on Saturday afternoon.

The Navy had requested the advice and assistance of the SLMM Naval monitors in Jaffna to inspect the two suspected trawlers around 6 pm.

One trawler had subsequently fled the scene and managed to go ashore close to Devil's Point by going through shallow waters.

The second trawler was adrift close to Iranativu Island in Palk Bay.

With the approval of the LTTE Political Leadership in Kilinochchi, two SLMM naval monitors embarked the other trawler sailing off Iranativu Islands, the mission said. The monitors found communication equipment onboard the trawler, which was controlled by four LTTE cadres.

The SLMM suggested to all parties in the dispute, the Navy, the LTTE Political Leadership in Kilinochchi and the commanding officers involved in the incident that the LTTE cadres on board should be allowed to go ashore while the trawler taken in to Navy custody.

The LTTE leadership rejected the offer and the cadres onboard refused to disembark the trawler.

At 11.20 pm, the LTTE cadres had begun to move the trawler towards the shore of the Vanni. The Navy officers and sailors onboard the vessel managed to jump onto a Naval boat which was moving alongside the trawler while the two monitors onboard were held against their will and physically hindered from leaving by the LTTE cadres, the SLMM said.

The monitors were released only when the trawler reached the shore 2 Km South of Devil's Point shortly after midnight.

The two monitors were brought to Kilinochchi and finally got to the SLMM Liaison office in Kilinochchi at 5.40 Sunday morning.

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