Tigers blame Lanka for risking lives of foreign envoys

Colombo, Feb 27 (UNI) The Tamil Tiger rebels today blamed the government of Sri Lanka for risking the lives of foreign envoys.

They expressed "deep regret for the injuries caused to the foreign diplomats" due to their long-range mortar and artillery shelling.

"We are shocked by the grave negligence in the security arrangements for the diplomats by the Sri Lankan government that has transported the delegation into the artillery launch-pads amid the prevailing atmosphere of provocative artillery attacks," the Tamilnet website reported quoting LTTE's military spokesman, Irasiah Ilanthirayan, as saying.

Two military helicopters carrying a top delegation led by Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, comprising US Ambassador Robert O'Blake, Italian Ambassador Prio Mariani, German Ambassador Jurgen Weerth to Sri Lanka and several other foreign diplomats were landing when the mortar shells fired by the LTTE cadres hit the landing pad at the Batticaloa Air Force base.

The delegation was taken there to witness the reconstruction and development work being done by the government authorities after the military recaptured the former rebel-stronghold of Vakarai in the district last month. The team narrowly escaped with eleven people including the US and Italian Ambassadors to Sri Lanka receiving minor injuries.

A US Embassy official confirmed the US Ambassador along with some other foreign envoys and Minister Samarasinghe "is in Batticaloa this morning on a pre-planned visit.

"We also confirm that Ambassador Blake is alright," the official said, refusing to give any further details.

Claiming they were responding "to hostile artillery and mortar attacks" by the military this morning, the LTTE spokesman said the rebels had immediately ceased the fire as soon as they were notified of the presence of foreign diplomats under artillery fire, by Mr Marian Din, the UN official for coordinating security arrangements here in Kilinochchi.

Ilanthirayan also charged the Sri Lankan military has completely ignored the procedure of informing the LTTE prior to the arrival of foreign envoys to the battlefront.

"This is a simple procedure that has been intentionally ignored in Batticaloa by the Sri Lankan military. We condemn the GoSL in strongest possible terms for seeking to sabotage LTTE's relationship with the foreign missions and the International Community," the LTTE spokesman has been quoted as saying.

Commenting on the LTTE mortar fire on the helicopter carrying a Colombo-based diplomatic heads of mission, the government's spokesman on defence matters, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the attack showed once again "the callous disregard by the Tigers on the welfare and the betterment of the innocent Tamil civilians whom they claimed to represent".

"The Foreign envoys today have witnessed by themselves the terrorism of the LTTE once again. The attack clearly shows the Tigers are not interested in peace talks and any future negotiations with them would be a futile exercise," Minister Rambukwella said.

The attack has taken place when President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is away in China on a week-long official visit with not less than a jumbo 100-member delegation.

A civil aircraft was slightly damaged during the attack.

UNI