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| Wednesday, 2 April 2003 |
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Security | Today's Top Story | |
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by Ranga Jayasuriya and Manjula Fernando The LTTE yesterday denied involvement in an abortive attack on the Navy vessel Lanka Muditha on Monday, but the Security Forces insisted that the Sea Tigers were responsible for the attack. Several shots were fired at the Muditha from an unidentified dingy 14 nautical miles North of Trincomalee, injuring four soldiers. Three of them had head injuries. The MV Lanka Muditha was ferrying security forces personnel returning from leave. Navy gunboats escorting the vessel sank the dingy in retaliation. The Official Army web site said the attack was carried out allegedly by LTTE cadres who came in two fibre glass dinghies around 7 pm Monday. Military Spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne charged the LTTE of the attack saying "there were no other persons except the LTTE operating in the area". "There should be an LTTE hand behind the incident," he said. LTTE media spokesman Daya Master however denied that the LTTE had a hand in the incident, saying it suspected "third party" involvement. "Our cadres did not do this. We vehemently deny any involvement," he told the Daily News. "We were surprise to hear this incident". " It seems a third party is trying to scuttle the peace process through such acts". Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) spokesman Teitur Torkelsson said the LTTE political office had denied any involvement, when they contacted them on the same night. "Sea Tiger chief Soosai said LTTE gunboats were not in the area. The LTTE are somewhat worried about the incident and denied any involvement," Torkelsson said. A SLMM monitor who was aboard a gunboat escorting the Lanka Muditha will update the SLMM on the incident. Two weeks ago, a BoI registered Chinese trawler was attacked and sunk in the Eastern seas by unidentified gunmen. The Sea Tigers were initially suspected of carrying out the attack, but the SLMM in its ruling said it had no evidence to hold the LTTE responsible, raising suspicions of third party involvement. |
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