Lankan navy sinks suspected LTTE arms vessel off East

Colombo, Mar 18 (UNI) Sri Lankan Navy today claimed it had foiled yet another attempt by the Tamil Tiger rebels to smuggle war materials into the country when its patrol craft attacked and sank a suspected LTTE gun-running vessel in the Eastern seas this morning.

Navy spokesman Commander P D K Dassanayake said the incident took place when two naval fast attack craft, on routine patrol in the Eastern seas, spotted the suspicious vessel about 400 km off Arugambay shortly after midnight and ordered it to stop for check and identification as it was not carrying any flag.

The suspected LTTE vessel (about 70-75 meter long) ignored the navy's repeated warnings to establish its identity and started moving towards the deep seas.

''The men onboard the vessel started firing at the naval craft as it tried to approach the vessel in the morning. It was when the navy's retaliatory fire hit the vessel that it caught fire and sank completely in the deep seas with huge explosions by 0930 hrs (local time),'' Commander Dassanayake told UNI.

Claiming at least ten to twelve LTTE men onboard must have been killed in the incident, the Navy spokesman said the huge explosions aboard the suspicious vessel ''clearly indicated it was carrying war-like materials and high explosives''.

Last month, the Sri Lankan navy destroyed another suspected LTTE arms vessel off Dondra point in Southern Sri Lanka.

There was no immediate reaction from the LTTE over the incident.

UNI