Trincomalee naval base under heavy LTTE artillery fire

Colombo, Aug 1 (UNI) The Tamil Tiger rebels mounted fierce mortar and artillery attack on the strategic Trincomalee harbour this afternoon, after making an abortive attempt to hit a vessel carrying troops in the harbour, a top defence official said.

''Like last time, the LTTE has targeted a vessel carrying hundreds of troops in civil dress from the Kankesanthurai harbour to the Trincomalee naval base. Their attack on the ship was thwarted and now they are firing artillery and mortars towards the naval base,'' Navy Spokesman Commander P D K Dassanayake told UNI, over phone, from the operation room of the Colombo naval headquarters.

According to the Navy Spokesman, the troop carrier vessel ''Jet Liner'' was ferrying some 850 troops from the Kankesanturai harbour in the northern Jaffna peninsula to the Trincomalee naval base, located within the well-fortified strategic naval harbour when it was targeted by the LTTE around 0230 hrs.

''The troop carrier had safely entered the harbour and the troops travelling on it were unhurt. The Sea Tigers suicide attempt to attack the ship was foiled. Further details are not known immediately,'' Commander Dassanayake said.

Trincomalee residents told UNI that ''people have begun to panic with continuous loud bangs being heard in the town area''.

It is believed that the LTTE had targeted the troop carrier to prevent the military from providing reinforcements to supplement the Sri Lanka Army's advance in the eastern province to capture the Mavilaru sluice gates closed down by the LTTE.

''The Army advance was faced with heavy mortar firing by the LTTE after a brief lull in the fighting,'' Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said, adding that Air Force cover was made available to the advancing troops.

''The troops are looking to consolidate while coming up with heavy resistance. It is one thing to get there and quite another thing to remain there,'' Brig Samarasinghe said, adding that for that reason the troops movements had to be carefully planned.

The Army advance towards Mavilaru in the Trincomalee district began on Sunday as they sought to dislodge the LTTE rebels who had closed down the sluice gate of the irrigation river since July 20.

The government blamed the LTTE of depriving water to some 15,000 families in the Verugal area by closing down the sluice gates and said the military advance was purely aimed at securing the release of water to civilians living in government controlled territory.

Keheliya Rambukwella, the Minister of Policy planning and also Government's defence spokesman said the military operation was ''not a declaration of war against the Tamil people, but to facilitate the availability of water to civilians''.

Brig Samarasinghe said 10 soldiers including two officers were killed in yesterday's battle while the LTTE casualty figure was over 40 dead.

In April 1994, the LTTE declared war with the then government led by the President Chandrika Kumaratunga by blowing up two Israeli-built Dvora-class attack craft of the navy inside the Trincomalee naval base.

UNI XC PR DS1652