srilanka1998
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Search for Sri Lankan gun boat after offshore blast
[ AFP ] [ 00:22 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
powerful offshore explosion was heard in Sri Lanka's northeastern port district of Trincomalee shortly after two naval patrol craft put out to sea, police said. The pre-dawn blast on Saturday involved at least one of the naval craft with whom radio communication had been lost, and a search was underway, said police in Trincomalee, 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of the capital."We heard the blast and made inquiries from the navy, but we haven't got clear answers yet," a police official in the area said by telephone. "The navy has launched a search."
Five dead in Sri Lanka sea attack
[ BBC ] [ 01:20 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
At least five Sri Lankan sailors have been killed and 10 are missing after a navy boat was ambushed by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels, officials say. A loud explosion rocked the port of Trincomalee, in the north-east of Sri Lanka, shortly after two patrol boats left the harbour on Friday night. The incident would be the latest in a series of attacks by the separatist Tigers against military targets. A navy spokesman told the Reuters news agency they suspected a suicide attack. The recent attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels have raised fears that Sri Lanka may be sliding back into civil war after four years of an officials ceasefire.
15 dead, two injured in suicide attack on Sri Lanka navy gunboat
COLOMBO (AFP) - At least 15 Sri Lankan sailors were killed and two others injured when their gunboat was blown up in a suspected suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels, the military said.
The patrol craft was blown up off the northeastern port of Trincomalee before dawn when an explosives-filled fishing boat rammed against it, a top military official said on Saturday.
Fifteen sailors, including two officers, were killed, and two others were fished from the water after the Israeli-built Dvora-class gunboat sank, the official said, adding that a search was still on for the wreckage.
"Two sailors who escaped with injuries were picked up by a military rescue boat," the officer said.
Tamil Tiger guerrillas are known to have carried out suicide attacks against dozens of naval craft in the past using small boats packed with explosives.
Saturday's attack was the first sinking of a high-powered naval gunboat since a Norwegian-brokered truce between Colombo and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) went into effect from February 2002.
Three sailors aboard a smaller naval patrol craft were killed 16 days ago in a sea battle with rebels off the northwestern town of Mannar.
The Tigers accused the navy of attacking them first and maintained they acted in self-defence. However, Scandinavian truce monitors said the rebels had violated the fragile ceasefire.
There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers to the latest attack against the navy, which added to a string of losses suffered by the security forces since last month when violence spiked in the island's troubled northeast.
In April 1995, the Tigers infiltrated the main naval harbour in Trincomalee, located 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, and blasted two craft that were anchored there.
Suspected Rebels Kill 13 in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - An explosives-rigged fishing boat rammed a Sri Lankan navy patrol early Saturday, killing 13 sailors in a suspected rebel attack, officials said.
One navy boat was destroyed in the explosion off the coast of Trincomalee ' the latest in a series of attacks against government troops by suspected rebels, who are campaigning for a homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic minority Tamils. A second boat, which was at a distance, escaped the impact of the explosion.
Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jayantha Perera said 13 sailors were killed and that two sailors survived the attack and were found by search and rescue teams.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense blamed the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the attack.
The pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reported the incident, but did not mention casualties or who was responsible for the attack. The Tamil Tigers generally do not claim responsibility for attacks.
Before the 2002 cease-fire that halted Sri Lanka's civil war, the rebels had carried out similar attacks against naval craft, including one in 1995 that triggered full-scale hostilities.
Trincomalee, which has a strategic port and a base to Sri Lankan navy, has been tense this week after five ethnic Tamils died. The military has said the men accidentally blew themselves up in a botched grenade attack on a military patrol, but the rebels said government forces attacked the men.
A formal government inquiry has been ordered.
Violence has worsened in the country since November's election of Sri Lanka's new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, who campaigned on a promise to take a tough line in negotiations with the rebels. Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has warned the Tamil Tigers would intensify their struggle if the Tamils' grievances were not addressed.
Last month 45 soldiers were killed and 71 wounded in ambushes blamed on the rebels; government troops killed seven suspected rebels.
The two sides have also traded accusations about the slaying of a pro-rebel lawmaker on Christmas Eve. And in August, former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated by suspected Tiger gunmen.
The escalating violence has prompted the Norwegian official who brokered the 2002 cease-fire, Erik Solheim, to urge the government and rebels to resume peace talks immediately. Six rounds of peace talks were held until 2004 when they broke down over rebel demands for autonomy.
The cease-fire halted two decades of a civil war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983.
Sri Lankan Navy denies fisherman of livelihood
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 17:03 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
Following Sri Lankan Navy denying fisherman from going to sea for the second time in two weeks, nearly 1,000 families have displaced to LTTE administered areas, so they can earn a living and survive. The Sri Lankan Navy has banned fishing for Tamil fisherman in most sections of the north seas of the Jaffna peninsula, a coastal area where High Security Zones have already restricted fisherman from earning a living. Fisherman families are struggling since many rely on their daily earnings to provide for their families. Just over one week ago, on 28 December 2005, the Sri Lankan Navy closed off fishing areas in Valikamam West, Mathahulthurai, Mathahulpothithurai, Mareesankudal, Kussumamthurai and Sumvilthurai. This ban left 850 fisherman families with little or no means to earn a living. Fisherman were unable to access even their eqiupment that they usually left by the shore. 275 boats and 75 catamarans were unusable due to this.
[ AFP ] [ 00:22 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
powerful offshore explosion was heard in Sri Lanka's northeastern port district of Trincomalee shortly after two naval patrol craft put out to sea, police said. The pre-dawn blast on Saturday involved at least one of the naval craft with whom radio communication had been lost, and a search was underway, said police in Trincomalee, 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of the capital."We heard the blast and made inquiries from the navy, but we haven't got clear answers yet," a police official in the area said by telephone. "The navy has launched a search."
Five dead in Sri Lanka sea attack
[ BBC ] [ 01:20 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
At least five Sri Lankan sailors have been killed and 10 are missing after a navy boat was ambushed by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels, officials say. A loud explosion rocked the port of Trincomalee, in the north-east of Sri Lanka, shortly after two patrol boats left the harbour on Friday night. The incident would be the latest in a series of attacks by the separatist Tigers against military targets. A navy spokesman told the Reuters news agency they suspected a suicide attack. The recent attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels have raised fears that Sri Lanka may be sliding back into civil war after four years of an officials ceasefire.
15 dead, two injured in suicide attack on Sri Lanka navy gunboat
COLOMBO (AFP) - At least 15 Sri Lankan sailors were killed and two others injured when their gunboat was blown up in a suspected suicide attack by Tamil Tiger rebels, the military said.
The patrol craft was blown up off the northeastern port of Trincomalee before dawn when an explosives-filled fishing boat rammed against it, a top military official said on Saturday.
Fifteen sailors, including two officers, were killed, and two others were fished from the water after the Israeli-built Dvora-class gunboat sank, the official said, adding that a search was still on for the wreckage.
"Two sailors who escaped with injuries were picked up by a military rescue boat," the officer said.
Tamil Tiger guerrillas are known to have carried out suicide attacks against dozens of naval craft in the past using small boats packed with explosives.
Saturday's attack was the first sinking of a high-powered naval gunboat since a Norwegian-brokered truce between Colombo and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) went into effect from February 2002.
Three sailors aboard a smaller naval patrol craft were killed 16 days ago in a sea battle with rebels off the northwestern town of Mannar.
The Tigers accused the navy of attacking them first and maintained they acted in self-defence. However, Scandinavian truce monitors said the rebels had violated the fragile ceasefire.
There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers to the latest attack against the navy, which added to a string of losses suffered by the security forces since last month when violence spiked in the island's troubled northeast.
In April 1995, the Tigers infiltrated the main naval harbour in Trincomalee, located 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, and blasted two craft that were anchored there.
Suspected Rebels Kill 13 in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - An explosives-rigged fishing boat rammed a Sri Lankan navy patrol early Saturday, killing 13 sailors in a suspected rebel attack, officials said.
One navy boat was destroyed in the explosion off the coast of Trincomalee ' the latest in a series of attacks against government troops by suspected rebels, who are campaigning for a homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic minority Tamils. A second boat, which was at a distance, escaped the impact of the explosion.
Navy spokesman Cmdr. Jayantha Perera said 13 sailors were killed and that two sailors survived the attack and were found by search and rescue teams.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense blamed the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the attack.
The pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reported the incident, but did not mention casualties or who was responsible for the attack. The Tamil Tigers generally do not claim responsibility for attacks.
Before the 2002 cease-fire that halted Sri Lanka's civil war, the rebels had carried out similar attacks against naval craft, including one in 1995 that triggered full-scale hostilities.
Trincomalee, which has a strategic port and a base to Sri Lankan navy, has been tense this week after five ethnic Tamils died. The military has said the men accidentally blew themselves up in a botched grenade attack on a military patrol, but the rebels said government forces attacked the men.
A formal government inquiry has been ordered.
Violence has worsened in the country since November's election of Sri Lanka's new president, Mahinda Rajapakse, who campaigned on a promise to take a tough line in negotiations with the rebels. Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has warned the Tamil Tigers would intensify their struggle if the Tamils' grievances were not addressed.
Last month 45 soldiers were killed and 71 wounded in ambushes blamed on the rebels; government troops killed seven suspected rebels.
The two sides have also traded accusations about the slaying of a pro-rebel lawmaker on Christmas Eve. And in August, former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated by suspected Tiger gunmen.
The escalating violence has prompted the Norwegian official who brokered the 2002 cease-fire, Erik Solheim, to urge the government and rebels to resume peace talks immediately. Six rounds of peace talks were held until 2004 when they broke down over rebel demands for autonomy.
The cease-fire halted two decades of a civil war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983.
Sri Lankan Navy denies fisherman of livelihood
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 17:03 GMT, Jan. 7, 2006 ]
Following Sri Lankan Navy denying fisherman from going to sea for the second time in two weeks, nearly 1,000 families have displaced to LTTE administered areas, so they can earn a living and survive. The Sri Lankan Navy has banned fishing for Tamil fisherman in most sections of the north seas of the Jaffna peninsula, a coastal area where High Security Zones have already restricted fisherman from earning a living. Fisherman families are struggling since many rely on their daily earnings to provide for their families. Just over one week ago, on 28 December 2005, the Sri Lankan Navy closed off fishing areas in Valikamam West, Mathahulthurai, Mathahulpothithurai, Mareesankudal, Kussumamthurai and Sumvilthurai. This ban left 850 fisherman families with little or no means to earn a living. Fisherman were unable to access even their eqiupment that they usually left by the shore. 275 boats and 75 catamarans were unusable due to this.