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So called "Sea Piracy" of the Sea Tigers

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  • கருத்துக்கள உறவுகள்+

Combined by Nanni Chozhan from various sources and first released in Wikipedia.

 

The Sea Tigers have been accused of hijacking 4 Sri Lankan supply vessels in the waters of Sri Lanka namely Irish Mona (in August 1995), Misen (in July 1997) Morong Bong (in July 1997) and Princess Kash (in August 1998) but it destroyed by Sri Lankan Navy's Airforce along with cargo in it. They have also dismantled equipment from a drifted vessel named MV Farah III (in December 2006).

In the year 1996, Lawrence Thilakar, a member of the LTTE central committee, said that the Tigers would target both Sri Lankan military inside and outside supply lines.[38] A second development was the LTTE's declaration on 15 July 1997, that all merchant vessels taking supplies northward to the Jaffna peninsula would be considered legitimate military targets. This was aimed at cutoff Sri Lanka's supply line to Jaffna as a result of the Sri Lankans' ability to supply themselves by air drastically reduced due to continuous shot down of SLAF's supply planes. The LTTE accused Sri Lanka of

"shipping war materials to Jaffna under the pretext of supplying food and necessities for the people" .[39]

On 28 August 1995,[40] Tigers intercepted and took control of the passenger ferry Irish Mona near the coastal city of Mullaitivu. The ferry was run by the government of Sri Lanka with the help of a paramilitary group known as EPDP, transporting people from the Jaffna islands to the mainland.[41] The ship's passengers were brought to the coast safely by the Sea Tigers. Both were sunk when the SLN sent its two Dvora boats to investigate the incident. The rebels lured the first boat in range of the firing line by posing as passengers waving for help on the ferry's deck, and fired with a tank hidden in the ground, according to Colombo officials. It was then came to light that the ship was turned into a deadly trap, aimed at the Sri Lankan Navy gunboats.[42] A short time later, the passengers (Tamils) and the ferry and its crew (Sinhalese) were released, although two of them were detained and released later on 25 October 1998.[40]

On 1 July 1997, Sea Tigers captured another Sri Lankan supply ship named MV Misen off the north-western coast of Pesalai.[43] The Tigers' claimed that the ship was transporting Sri Lankan troops to the Jaffna peninsula.[38] After taking the crew of 9 members off the ship, the Sri Lankan government claims the Tigers burned it down. Except for one member all of the crew were released after a short time.[39] The last crew member(Sinhalese) was released on 25 October 1998 and handed over to ICRC.[43]

On 8 July 1997, a Sri Lankan supply ship named Morong Bong was detained by Tamil Tigers off the Jaffna peninsula and taken it to Alampil in Mullaitivu with the Sea Tigers escorts where it was anchored. According to the Tigers, one of the 38 crewmen on the ship was killed when the ship took off for open waters after the Tigers demanded it stop. Later, the crew of 37 were detained.[44][45] On 13 July 1997, the entire crew was released. According to reports, the captain of the ship sympathized with the rebels and called the Sri Lankan government 'merciless'.[46]

On 14 August 1998, LTTE hijacked the Sri Lankan supply ship MV Princess Kash loaded with 60tons of cargo (worth 500 million rupees) at the Mullaitivu sea and escorted towards the coast of Mullaitivu by the Sea Tigers gunboats. The 17-member Indian crew was captured and taken to the coast by the Sea Tigers. Later, the ship was bombed at 4:15 pm by Sri Lankan Airforce Kfir bombers. Prior to the ship's bombing, the captain, V. N. Capro, told the Sri Lankan Navy the LTTE was investigating them and that settlement could be reached through negotiation. The VoT further reported the captain had requested the SLN not to take any military action until then, but the vessel was bombed regardless of his request. But the SLN said that they acted to prevent the delivery of "dangerous merchandise" to the Tigers after their doubts were strengthened after the captain of the ship was alleged to be "acting in connivance with the LTTE". The crew was later handed over to ICRC on 16 August. [47] Around 600 Jaffna traders, protested against the bombing of the ship. They accused the government as they are starving the Tamil people in Jaffna and reducing the supplies. They also demanded the Sri Lankan government provide compensation for the cargo which was destroyed by the Sri Lankan Airforce[48] [49]

On 23 December 2006, the crew of 25 members of a Jordanian ship which was carrying 14,000 tons of rice from India to South Africa, MV Farah III, which was drifting towards Mullaitivu coast due to engine failure were rescued and safely brought to the coast. On 23 Decem., the Sea Tiger officials said that the captain of the Ship is trying to bring the ship to operation before getting aground. The ship then agrounded on the same day. [50] On 24 December, when the captain of the crew was contacted by TamilNet and when asked whether the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sea Tigers have engaged in a military standoff, the ship captain told that,

"this, I guess is all political. We are all safe and we have good cooperation here. We were offered a good place to sleep."[51]

They were handed over to ICRC on 25 December at 10 am.[52] On 26th December, an Indian newspaper, The Hindu, accused the Tamil Tigers of forcing the crew to abandon the vessel and risking their lives.[53] According to it, the skipper of the vessel said;

"First they tried to set up a bomb and explode the anchor cable and when it failed they ordered us to weigh anchor. Then, they opened fire four times to scare my crew and force us into smaller boats. We were travelling at high speed. When the boat hit waves we were tossed about. I injured my back."

He also alleged that the Tigers dismantled and removed all radio communication equipment and radar from the vessel.[53] On May 1, 2007, Sayed Sulaiman, the chairman of the ship's owners, Salam International Trading Company gave an interview to the BBC Tamil service, saying,

"We hear from the parties who are concerned with the ship, the insurance company etc., that ... everything that could be taken – like the rice, lights, generators – has been taken from the ship. The ship is now bare."[54]

The MV Sik Yang, a 2,818-ton Malaysian-flag cargo ship which sailed from Tuticorin, India on May 25, 1999, was reported missing in waters near Sri Lanka. The ship with a cargo of bagged salt was due at the Malaysian port of Malacca on May 31. The fate of the ship's crew of 15 is unknown. A report published on June 30, 1999, states that the vessel "may have been" captured by the LTTE as it went missing in the waters of Sri Lanka, according to 'Anti-Shipping Activity Messages'.[55]

While some of these missions have been purely opportunist in nature, most have, in some manner, been executed to support the group's on-ground war effort. In relation to more concerted maritime combat, however, piracy has not featured prominently in the LTTE's operational activities and should be considered an adjunct rather than an integral feature of its overall tactical agenda.[56]

 

 

38 "TamilNet". Tamilnet.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

39^ Jump up to:a b c "Further information on UA 210/97 (ASA 37/18/97, 14 July 1997) - Hostage-taking / Fear for safety" (PDF). Amnesty.org. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

40^ Jump up to:a b "TamilNet".

41^ "Red Cross to help free hostages". Upi.com.

42^ Burns, John F. (31 August 1995). "Rebels Hijack Civilian Ferry in Sri Lanka". The New York Times.

43^ Jump up to:a b "TamilNet". Tamilnet.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

44^ "TamilNet".

45^ "TamilNet".

46^ "TamilNet". Tamilnet.com. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

47^ "TamilNet".

48^ "TamilNet".

49^ "TamilNet".

50^ "TamilNet".

51^ "TamilNet".

52^ "TamilNet".

53^ Jump up to:a b "Jordanian crew slam Tigers for piracy". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 26 December 2006. Archived from the original on January 23, 2007.

54^ "Cargo boat 'looted off Sri Lanka'". BBC News. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2007-05-02.

55^ "Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM)". Irp.fas.org. Retrieved 26 July 2022.

56^ "Strategic Insights : Global Maritime Security Analysis : No 10 - 2008" (PDF). Portal.research.lu.se. Retrieved 26 July 2022

Edited by நன்னிச் சோழன்

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