Sri Lanka: Tiger rebels warn more air attacks

Colombo, Apr 30: Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers warned today theirnascent air wing would launch more aerial attacks after a weekend raidon oil facilities near the capital, as the military claimed it killed14 insurgents overnight.

Royal Dutch Shell's local arm said it had temporarily closed itsmain storage facility 20 km north of Colombo after yesterday's pre-dawnraid damaged its fire fighting system. But the British-Dutch oil majorsaid its storage tanks were intact and that supplies had not beendisrupted.

Sri Lankan shares fell in early trade tonday while the local rupeehit a new intraday low against the dollar as yesterday's raid, therebels' third in a month, sent jitters through the markets.

''The Sri Lankan military, especially the air force, are adamantlytrying to prove they will always seek a military solution,'' Tigermilitary spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan said by telephone from thenorthern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.

''So we have no other way than to take our own measures,'' headded. ''There will definitely be more. We have no choice other thanstriking back.'' Yesterday's pre-dawn air raid triggered panic in thecapital as air defences plunged Colombo into darkness and tracers androckets streaked through the night sky, forcing bars cram-packed withfans watching their side battling in the cricket World Cup cricketfinal to close abruptly.

Ilanthiraiyan said the timing was a coincidence. Sri Lanka'smilitary, which is pushing on with a declared plan to destroy theTigers' military assets in a bid to end a two-decade civil war that haskilled around 68,000 people since 1983, vowed to wipe out the fledglingrebel air wing.

''This is a new dimension,'' said military spokesman BrigadierPrasad Samarasinghe. ''We are trying to get some more advancedsystems.'' ''To neutralise them either in the air or on the ground ...is a requirement.'' Samarasinghe said troops killed 14 Tiger fightersin a series of clashes yesterday in the northern districts ofMullaithivu, Jaffna and Mannar, where fighting is now focused after thecapture of the rebels' eastern stronghold.

The Tigers, who want to carve out an independent state forminority Tamils in the north and east, said they had no details of anysuch clashes. The foes often contradict each other's accounts ofincidents in a parallel propaganda war.

Analysts say the Tigers' home-grown air wing, made up of smallacrobatic propeller planes adapted to carry bombs, while tiny poses athreat that should not be taken lightly. Some experts are dumbfoundedat how the rebels have managed to fly away safely after each sortie.

International airlines Cathay Pacific and Emirates both suspendedflights in and out of Colombo yesterday at a time when many flights arealready half full because tourists are wary to visit during a conflictthat is escalating and spreading.

''Although the LTTE's acquisitions appear primitive, they haveclearly demonstrated through their last four sorties the helplessnessof the government to protect its own airspace,'' said Iqbal Athas, ananalyst with Jane's Defence Weekly.

''The air force still doesn't appear prepared to meet with the air threat from the LTTE.''

Reuters

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