Sea Tigers have looted 14,000 tons of rice from Jordanian ship Farah 111

SEA TIGERS LOOT THE 14,000 TONS OF RICE AND ALL OTHER REMOVABLE EQUIPMENT FROM FARAH 111 SHIP IN MULATHIVU

By Walter Jayawardhana

The owning company of the cargo ship Farah 111 has complained that suspected Sea Tigers have have stripped their ship of every thing that could be removed including electrict lights, power generators and the 14,000 tons of rice that was in its cargo bay.

Sayed Sulaiman, the chairman of the ship’s owners, Salam International Trading Company, of Jordan told the Tamil Service of the BBC, Thamilosai, “I don’t know anyone else to blame except the Tamil Tigers for this incident. 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.”

The ship ran aground near the Mulativu coast since the Sea Tigers removed its anchor for the ship to drift towards the territory held by them.

Earlier this year the Sri Lankan security forces alleged that the Sea Tigers, the marine wing of the LTTE allowed that the ship to be moved to the Mulathivu coast so that its contents could be easily looted.

The government on security reasons did not allow permission to the insurance company and surveyors to visit the vessel as it was in a place out of control of the Sri Lanka government forces.

In December 2006 the Jordanian ship Farah 111 had engine trouble and was awaiting rescue from Colombo when pirates of the terrorist group of the LTTE’s Sea Tiger unit entered the ship and abducted the crew and its captain to Mulathivu. Later they were released to the International Red Cross.

The 150 meter cargo ship with a crew of 25 of Jordanians and Egyptians capatained by an Iraqi was carrying a load of 14,000 tons of rice rom India’s Andra Pradesh to South Africa when it developed mechanical trouble. The captain pushed the distress buttons indicating it was under the attack of the sea pirates when Sea Tigers entered the ship without any permission. The distress signal was received by the the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre in Falmouth UK.

Holding a press conference in Colombo the crew said later that even on the first day every removable communication equipment in the ship and the crew’s personal effects were looted by the Sea Tigers.

Later the Sri Lanka Navy obtained satellite photographs of how the Sea Tigers were removing its cargo and various equipment from the ship.

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Indian defense minister vows LTTE would not be allowed in Tamil Nadu

INDIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ANTONY VOWS THAT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW TAMIL TIGERS TO USE TAMIL NADU AS A BASE

By Walter Jayawardhana

Speaking from the Kerala state capital of Thiruvandapuram India’s Minister of Defense A. K. Antony categorically stated that the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would not be allowed to operate from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“We will not allow the LTTE to function in Tamil Nadu. Indian soil will not be allowed to be used as base by any terrorist organisation,” said Antony.

Speaking in the backdrop of the terrorist organization’s nascent air wing bombing Colombo, including a petroleum facility run as a joint venture of the Indian government the Indian Defense Minister said his country was watching the situation in Sri Lanka closely, especially in the wake of recent air strikes by LTTE.

The LTTE is the only terrorist group in the world who are running an air wing in the world. Anyway, India has failed to condemn the bombing and the killings and abductions of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the LTTE, reportedly under the influence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Antony said, that surveillance and security had been stepped up in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Earlier on the same day of May 1 speaking at another Kerala city of Kollam Antony said as India viewed internal developments in neighbouring Sri Lanka seriously, coastal security had been stepped up in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

He further added, India viewed the situation in Sri Lanka seriously especially in the wake of recent air strikes by LTTE near Colombo. Considering the southern peninsula’s proximity to the island nation, monitoring along the Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts had been beefed up.

We are giving high priority to the coastal security. This will be done in three levels with the involvement of the Navy, the Coast Guard and coastal police of the states concerned,” he said.

All the coastal states had been asked to set up coastal police stations and Kerala and Tamil Nadu had already taken steps in this regard.

As part of strengthening the coastal surveillance and security in the south, more radars would be installed to closely monitor the situation, he said.

On reports that some Kollam based fishermen missing since three weeks back had landed up in an LTTE camp in Sri Lanka along with a group of fishermen from neighbouring Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, Antony said the government had not received any official report from Tamil Nadu on this.

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Jayasuriya to sign up for Lashings

London, May 1 (IANS) Fresh from the World Cup, three Sri Lankan players – Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya – have committed their immediate futures to Lashings World XI, the Kent-based Harlem Globetrotters of cricket.

Alongside the players who have become the backbone of the club are team manager Alvin Kallicharran, captain Richie Richardson, vice-captain Chris Harris and Rashid Latif. Also new to the squad is South Africa’s Hashim Amla.

All four players will be heading for Britain this summer to join the Lashings squad for the start of their season.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming some of the world’s most exciting players to Lashings for the 2007 season. For the past 11 years, we have continued to strive to provide our audiences with some of the biggest names in world cricket, right here in the UK,” said David Folb, Lashings World XI chairman.

“Our aim is to inspire and entertain cricket fans of all ages, keeping the passion for the game alive. All our players are of equal value to us but we are delighted that from the youngest players at our school fixtures to the oldest armchair fan, everyone will be able to get close to some of big names they have been watching on TV throughout the World Cup,” he said.

The first fixture on Lashings World XI busy schedule is against Sedburgh School, Kendall, Cumbria May 25. This year, Lashings will be appearing at more venues across Britain than ever before, including – for the first time in the club’s history – a game in Northern Ireland.

The squad: Richie Richardson (WI), Henry Olonga (Zim), Chris Harris (NZ), Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya (all SL), Nantie Hayward, Hashim Amla (both SA), Greg Blewett (Aus), Rashid Latif (Pak), Alvin Kallicharran (WI), Phil DeFreitas (Eng)

Indo-Asian News Service
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