The LTTE has an air force now? The first terrorist group in the world to have air capability.. a sign of things to come?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Sri Lanka's government said a bombing raid by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on an air force base near Colombo is evidence the rebels have an air unit that poses a threat to the country and neighboring India.

``The LTTE is the only terrorist group in the world to have air capability,'' Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, the minister for trade, commerce and highways, said at a news conference yesterday in Colombo, according to the Ministry of Defense Web site. India and other countries should be aware of the threat.

The LTTE said yesterday's bombing was carried out by two light-wing aircraft that are part of its new air wing, TamilNet reported. The group didn't say how many planes it has.

Sri Lanka's peace process collapsed last year as fighting escalated in the north and east of the country and two rounds of talks failed in Geneva. The LTTE, which has an estimated 12,000 members, including a 4,000-strong naval force, has been fighting for two decades for a separate homeland in areas it controls of the South Asian island nation of 20 million people.

The raid shortly after midnight on the base at Katunayake, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the capital, killed three air force servicemen and wounded 16, the Defense Ministry said yesterday. Passenger terminals at the nearby Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo's main airport, closed for several hours while security checks were carried out and some flights were diverted.

The aircraft dropped three bombs, two of which exploded, the ministry said. They didn't damage any of the military aircraft, it said.

Information Blackout

Sri Lanka's government imposed an information blackout after the raid, TamilNet reported on its Web site. It cited unidentified airman as saying fires broke out in hangers and as much as 40 percent of base's strike capability may have been put out of action.

Air force jets attacked areas near Mannar in northwestern Sri Lanka after yesterday's raid, TamilNet reported.

The government will ``proceed ahead with greater resolve'' to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka and won't be intimidated by the air raid, Fernandopulle said, according to the Defense Ministry's statement.

The LTTE targeted a high-profile installation because it is demoralized after suffering recent defeats in the north and east, the ministry said yesterday.

The attack was aimed at destroying air force jets that have been inflicting civilian casualties and damaging civilian properties in operations in the east in recent months, the Tamil Tigers said, according to TamilNet.

The LTTE, classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the European Union and India, has accused the government of trying to impose a military solution. The army has captured 16 rebel bases in the northeast since January and began offensives recently near the eastern port of Batticaloa.

Almost 4,000 people have been killed in violence in the past 15 months, compared with 130 deaths related to the conflict in the three previous years, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the Norwegian-led group that oversees a February 2002 cease-fire, said last month.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home

[ELW 5]

Really bad and scary thing.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The news that two flights belonging to Tamileelam Air Force for the very first time flew into Colombo bombing and heavily damaging the Sinhala Air Force base and returned back to base has brought boundless joy and happiness to the Tamils living all over the world.

In a statement P. Nedumaran, leader of the Tamilar Desiya Iyakkam of Tamil Nadu, pointed out that for the last five years, Liberation Tigers very strictly adhered to the Ceasefire Agreement. However he alleged that the Sinhala Army often violated it, also it attacked indiscriminately the Tamil areas with aerial bombardments, mortar shells and was involved in the killing of the Tamils in large numbers.

Nedumaran further said that though the Liberation Tigers, as well as the International Community repeatedly brought to the notice of the atrocities inflicted on the Tamils, there was no favorable response forthcoming.

Justifying the air attack, Nedumaran said that no one is qualified to either condemn or rebuke the attack by the Tamil Tigers.

Despite the provocations for the last several months, Liberation Tigers exercised patience he said. Because of this, Tigers experienced losses, he added. Subsequently assuming that Tigers were weakened, selected media organizations and a few leaders in India began their anti-tiger tirades vigorously.

Now those involved in reproofing the Tamil Tigers are flabbergasted and remain spellbound after the air attack, Nedumaran said.

India must remember that liberation Tigers at no given time was weakened, but they have grown strength to strength, Nedumaran emphasized.

http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/5084

[slim 1,525]

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Sounds to me like the LTTE might have subs, too. This Indian Navy guy seems to be seriously scoffing at the possibility, which just makes me think it's more serious than they're admitting.

-G

INDIAN NAVY OFFICER TALKS ABOUT LTTE’S "TOY SUBMARINES" AND COORDINATED PATROLS WITH SRI LANKA NAVY

(By Walter Jayawardhana)

Assistant Chief of Indian Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, called the reported submarines of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) "toy submarines" and dismissed the suggestion that they could do any harm to the Indian Navy.

When reporters asked him whether there was any threat from those LTTE submersible vehicles, he totally rejected any underwater threat from the Sri Lankan terrorist group and, referring to the terrorist group's reported attempt to make a submarine, said, “You cannot develop submarines from do-it-yourself manuals.”

[...]

The Tamil Tiger midget submarines have been described as just slightly submersible, only a few feet under the surface of the water, and extremely slow moving.

The senior Naval official did not show any sort of respect for the kind of submersible, crude vehicles the LTTE was manufacturing, which are called “midget submarines.”

He said, "With toy subs, you can go for a kilometre and see coral reefs. Nothing else is possible unless they are going to war with sea urchins."

Rear Admiral Chauhan said the Indian Navy could easily frustrate any LTTE attempt to attack its ships.

[ELW 5]

Sounds to me like the LTTE might have subs, too. This Indian Navy guy seems to be seriously scoffing at the possibility, which just makes me think it's more serious than they're admitting.

Agreed.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Sounds to me like the LTTE might have subs, too. This Indian Navy guy seems to be seriously scoffing at the possibility, which just makes me think it's more serious than they're admitting.

Agreed.

Chauhan's assertion of it being "impossible to develop DIY submarines" is historically inaccurate, as shown by The Turtle, which attempted (albeit failed) to sink HMS Eagle on 1776-09-07.