Jordanian ship crew seeks ICRC help to return home

Colombo, Dec 24 (UNI) The crew of a wrecked Jordanian merchant vessel, which lost its way in the Indian Ocean and docked near the rebel-held Mullaitivu coast last night, has sought assistance of the ICRC to help them return home at the earliest, the Tamil Tiger rebels said toady.

''They asked the ICRC to help them return home at the earliest,'' LTTE spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said, adding the request had been made when the the ICRC officials in the rebel heartland of Kilinochchi visited them.

A Jordanian merchant vessel sailing from India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh to South Africa with 25 crew and 14,000 tons of rice reportedly lost its way in the early hours yesterday near the Indo-Lanka maritime waters due to technical failure off the LTTE-controlled Mullaitivu seas.

The pro-LTTE Tamilnet website said the crew led by an Iraqi Captain and nationals from Jordan and Egypt made contact with the Jordanian embassy in New Delhi from the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi, conveying the message of their safety.

''We were offered a good place to sleep. The crew have also been to shopping in Kilinochchi toady,'' Captain of the stranded Jordanian ship Ramaz S Abdul Jabbar was quoted as saying.

Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry in a statement promptly accused the Sea Tigers of forcibly boarding the 150-meter long Jordanian vessel, 'FARHA III'.

The Defence Ministry also said that the government officials were in the process of making all possible attempts to rescue the crew and the ship from the LTTE.

UNI XC KD KN1942