Jaffna fisheries sector condemns sinking of LTTE vessel

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 June 2003, 19:14 GMT]
The Northern Province Fishermen's Co-operative Societies Union (NPFCSU) Tuesday condemned the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) for destroying the LTTE oil tanker in the international waters. "All peace loving citizens who are working to achieve lasting political solution to the conflict would not condone such acts," said the NPFCSU in a statement released Tuesday, sources said.

"After the signing of the ceasefire agreement several unjustifiable acts had taken place in the sea. Sri Lanka Navy is behind these acts. In some incidents fishermen had been attacked and their fishing gears damaged by the Sri Lanka Navy," said the statement.

Tamil people are beginning to have serious doubts about the commitment of the Government of SriLanka (GoSL) in working towards a durable peace. People are also concerned about the failure of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to ensure that SLN informs the SLMM before SLN initiates any hostile action towards LTTE vessels.

According to the ceasefire agreement when the Sri Lanka Navy conducts search on crafts in sea SLMM members should be present in the naval crafts. However the SLN without the SLMM's presence conducts search on the LTTE crafts and launches attacks on them. We consider such acts are clear violation of ceasefire agreement. Fishermen are reluctant to go out fishing fearing danger to their lives," said the statement of NPFCSU.

The SLMM should take immediate steps to see that such acts of violence by SLN should not continue in future. SLMM should take prompt action to get the twelve LTTE cadres arrested by the navy to be released without delay, the statement further said.