Sri Lankan Rebel Attack On Navy Threatens Peace Talks

Bloomberg

May 12 (Bloomberg) -- Tamil Tiger rebels attacked Sri Lankan navy boats, killing 17 sailors in an incident international cease-fire monitors said threatens the prospects for peace talks.

As many as 15 rebel boats took part in the attack yesterday on a troop carrier off the northern coast, the military said in a statement. A navy craft was destroyed when the attack was repulsed with air force support, it said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said four rebels were killed, TamilNet reported.

``The LTTE has committed gross violations of the Cease-Fire Agreement in recent days by moving at sea,'' the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission said in a statement. ``This sort of reckless behavior can only lead to a dangerous escalation resulting in growing hostilities and jeopardizing any possibility for future peace talks.''

Sri Lanka's peace process is being threatened by almost daily attacks that have occurred since the government and rebels met in Geneva in February for their first talks in three years and agreed to support their 2002 cease-fire accord. The monitoring mission, comprising Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, appealed to the government not to respond to ``provocative acts'' such as the raid on the navy.

The troop carrier attacked yesterday usually carries about 700 service personnel, most of them soldiers, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site. At least five rebel vessels were destroyed in the attack, the military said.

As many as 30 rebels were killed, Agence France-Presse cited P.D.K. Dassanayake, a navy spokesman, as saying late yesterday.

Vessels Intercepted

The Tamil Tigers said their vessels were intercepted by navy ships off Vadamaradchi East, TamilNet reported. Rebel land forces came under artillery attack in the area at the same time, it said.

The LTTE's Sea Tigers existed before the cease-fire agreement was reached in 2002 and contribute to the balance of power between government and rebel forces, S.P. Thamilchelvan, the head of the group's political wing, said in a letter late yesterday to the monitoring mission, according to TamilNet.

``Balance of power is one of the basic elements for the present cease-fire,'' Thamilchelvan said. ``To maintain their forces and capabilities both parties must have the right to carry out training and exercise in designated areas.''

The Monitoring Mission, in its statement, said the LTTE has no rights at sea and the area surrounding Sri Lanka is controlled by the government.

The LTTE, in recent days, has moved its vessels at sea ``with the aim of provoking the Sri Lankan navy and now finally embarking on an offensive operation,'' the SLMM said. ``We therefore demand that the LTTE immediately ceases all activities and operations at sea as they are a serious violation of the cease-fire agreement.''

Grave Danger

Two members of the monitoring mission were on board the troop transporter, the military said. The attack put the officials in grave danger, the SLMM said in its statement.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country, in a conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people. They pulled out of talks that were to have opened in Geneva April 24 because of travel restrictions on their officials and the renewed violence.

International donors, who have pledged $4.5 billion in aid to Sri Lanka on the condition that progress is made toward a peace settlement, have called on both sides to come to peace talks in Geneva.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net