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Will LTTE Give Peace a Chance?

On 14 June 2003, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) oil tanker Shoshin blew up and sank. According to the Sri Lanka navy, warning shots were fired but the vessel failed to stop. Its 12-member crew then destroyed the vessel before it could be boarded and jumped off. The fate of the crew is unknown and they are presumed dead. The Tamil Tigers warned of “grave consequences� and noted that the navy had no authority to open fire. The Sri Lankan government has played down the consequences of this sea clash to dispel fears that the rebels might go back to the ethnic war.

In the past, there have been several similar incidents. What is more disturbing is that the LTTE is seeking formal recognition of the “Sea Tigers,â€Â� its maritime wing, on par with the Sri Lankan navy. The proposal (as part of three proposals) was made by Colonel Soosai, Commander, Sea Tigers Force, to the Scandinavian-staffed Sri Lanka (Ceasefire) Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to prevent clashes at sea.  The other two proposals envisage a prohibited zone for the Sri Lankan navy and an embargo against the use of force against any LTTE vessel, military or civilian, in the absence of a monitor from the SLMM. The LTTE had complained that the Sri Lankan navy, as part of its Operation Waruna Kirana, was launching offensive attacks to block its sea-lanes.

These proposals imply: (a) formulation of an agreed set of Rules of Engagement (ROE); (b) maintaining of a distance of one nautical mile between the vessels of the LTTE and the Sri Lankan navy; and, (c) a sea lane for the LTTE’s non-military and naval shipping. The Sri Lankan government rejected these proposals on the grounds that its navy is the symbol of its sovereignty and integrity. 

According to the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea III (UNCLOS III), only state navies can board and inspect ships suspected of indulging in illegal activities even in international waters. Any vessel could be asked to identify itself, and furnish its name, registration and flag (nationality) including the last and next port of call. The LTTE navy is not a signatory to UNCLOS and therefore cannot claim that right. Besides, the entire operation against the tanker Shoshin, was within the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea and the Rules of Engagement (ROE) promulgated by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence.

The LTTE remains active despite the ongoing peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. Earlier, a mystery ship, reportedly controlled by the LTTE was spotted 100 nautical miles north east of Mullaitivu and had offloaded weapons to small boats before the crew noticed they were being watched by Indian forces and began dumping items overboard. Sri Lankan naval forces intercepted a dingy with six-armed LTTE cardres and communications equipment.

In another incident, the LTTE was thwarted by the Sri Lankan Navy while trying to smuggle an anti-aircraft weapon and other arms and ammunition. The LTTE’s sea cadres chose to scuttle the ship and go down with it to avoid being captured – similar to what Kittu, a prominent leader of the LTTE, did in 1993 when he was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guards while trying to smuggle arms and ammunition procured in Pakistan.

LTTE appears to have shown little mercy towards innocent seafarers. Fifteen Chinese and two Sinhalese were feared killed on 20 March 2003 when a Chinese trawler Fu Yuan Ya 225 was attacked by a suspected LTTE naval unit off the Mullaitivu coast of eastern Sri Lanka. Reportedly, the Indian and Sri Lankan navies have instituted a range of measures to step up surveillance to prevent LTTE smuggling arms across the narrow northern strait separating the two countries.

The LTTE are known to use stealth speedboats for attacks. For instance, Jane's Intelligence Review analyzed a video of a LTTE “wolf pack� attack that sank a Sri Lanka navy operated passenger vessel in Trincomalee harbour. The speedboats were powered by Johnson 200/ Yamaha engines and were able to generate a top speed of over 35 knots, manned by two Black Tiger suicide crew. Besides the 122mm artillery shells that are stuck to the gunwale of the boat, other explosives are also carried. Another feature of these boats is that the front of the boat is fitted with spikes that attach the boat to its target once they have collided.

It is believed that these boats are armour plated and the design and construction is indigenous to the LTTE. The Tamil population is by tradition expert boat builders, and the LTTE have utilised speedboats as suicide weapons in the past. The Sri Lankan navy has lost more than a dozen ships to these attacks.