LTTE releases Jordanian ship crew to ICRC

Colombo, Dec 25 (UNI) The crew of a wrecked Jordanian merchant vessel, which lost its way in the Indian Ocean and ran aground near the rebel-held Mullaitivu coast on Saturday night, has been released to the ICRC to help them return home, the rebel and military sources said today.

''We have released the Ship captain and his 24 crew to the ICRC this morning in Kilinochchi. They are on their way to Colombo,'' LTTE's media coordinator Daya Master told UNI over the phone.

A top naval source here also confirmed the reports of the 25 crew being released by the LTTE this morning, but said the authorities were concerned about the fate of the ship.

The release of the Jordian ship crew by the LTTE comes a day after they made a request to the visiting ICRC officials to help them return home at the earliest.

A Jordanian merchant vessel sailing from India's southern state of Andhra to South Africa with 25 crew and 14,000 tons of rice reportedly lost its way in the early hours of Saturday 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.

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