Thursday, October 18, 2007

Civilians Killed in LTTE Provocation



Three civilians, including two children were killed and three more civilians injured in crossfire between LTTE Sea Tigers and the Sri Lanka Navy in the Seas off Pesalai in Mannar early this morning. One more civilian is missing. A Navy Inshore Patrol Craft was en route to intercepting a Sea Tiger boat movement from Veduthalthivu Sea Tiger base, which has been highly active in recent times, when, despite the bans imposed on Human Smuggling, a boat full of civilians crossed its path. At this exact time, the Sea Tigers, perhaps sensing an opportunity to escape, opened fire on the IPC. The Navy craft too returned fire while attempting to pull back from the civilian boat. Unfortunately, at that same moment, a volley of crossfire hit the civilian boat. The Navy immediately reached the boat and rescued the three injured Tamil civilians and the bodies of the three deceased. Sea Tigers taking advantage of this brief lull managed to escape towards Veduthalthivu coast.

The seas around Pesalai were restricted for fishing due to constant infiltration by Sea Tigers from Veduthalthivu. The restrictions were eased from time to time only to be taken advantage of by the guerrillas. Last year, a group of over 20 Sea Tiger boats, disguised as fishing vessels launched a massive attack on Telemannar Jetty and adjoining Naval Installations killing over a dozen sailors, including members of the elite Special Boat Squadron. The LTTE has been involved in an organized Human Smuggling Operation from Mannar to India. Large numbers of Tamils were asked to leave this way by the LTTE prior to the escalation of violence by both sides last year. Even Tamils from Trincomalee were ferried to India in this way, which involves a dangerous and precarious journey in high-speed fishing boats, often dodging Navy arrest. A number of boats have capsized in these journeys for which organized gangs paying 'taxes' to the LTTE, charge upto Rs. 5000 per head. Passengers are often left on sandy islets in Indian coastal waters to be picked up by Indian smugglers. The smuggling of humans continue despite repeated attempts by the Navy to put an end to the racket.

Meanwhile Army Commandos have rescued three Tamil civilians and two Japanese engineers from the Japanese Aid Agency JICA this morning. The group went missing along with their Sinhalese guide in Morawewa, Trincomalee, en route to inspecting Nelum Oya Tank. A team of Sinhalese contractors were abducted and later assassinated by the LTTE in the same area prior to the capture of the East by the Security Forces.

The LTTE's North Korean Connection

A South Korean Newspaper called the Sankei Shimbun reported on 26th August 2007 of a North Korean vessel seized while transporting North Korean weapons from Chonjin to Sri Lankan rebels. According to the Sankei Shimbun, the weapons being smuggled to the LTTE included automatic rifles, anti-tank weapons and machine guns. Given the reputation of North Korea at assisting non-state armed elements, and the LTTE’s thirst for new deadly weapons, DefenceWire took the liberty of consulting a South Korean Security Expert who has studied, at length, the LTTE and North Korean weapons systems.

The LTTE has been designing crude stealth craft to boost the firepower of the Sea Tigers, who have incidentally launched over three hundred suicide attacks against the Sri Lanka Navy. Recent video footage of preparation by the LTTE Sea Tigers for suicide missions indicated that the organization was developing a Human Torpedo. The suicide contraption was similar to a one-man water-scooter with detonation cones at the front. This contraption could have little practical use since the suicide cadre is exposed to gunfire, unless the LTTE uses it during conditions of low visibility. The contraption is also useless against fast moving deep-sea vessels, such as the Jetliner Transport ship, which travels at high speeds in deeper waters.

Unfortunately, with a possible collaboration with the North Koreans, new possibilities may have already emerged for the LTTE. Unconfirmed reports had indicated for years that the LTTE was developing a small suicide submarine. This is not an impossible task considering the group managed to launch surprise attacks using light aircrafts smuggled into the country.

The Imperial Japanese Navy used a suicide torpedo called KAITEN during WWII for suicide missions against the Allied Forces. The success or failure of these attacks is controversial. However, this basic design has been modified by the North Koreans to include stealth capabilities
The Kaiten
Since LTTE’s manufacturing capability is under watch by the Security Forces and since a submarine with a steel body needs a building-dock for building and maintaining, the LTTE could turn to the North Koreans for help. Since the LTTE requires a disposable submarine for suicide mission, the LTTE does not need steel bodied full scale submarines. Only possible option is FRP (Fibre-Reinforced Plastic) bodied midget submarines. Therefore the North Korean Yugo class (NATO code name) can be of considerable use for the organization.

The Yugo Class is the smallest SSM in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Navy (DPRK-N). It is made of plastic and hence hard to detect. The vessel is traditionally 66 feet in length and can travel at 8kts submerged. The prominent aspect of the Yugo class is the materials used for the hull. The boat is half made of FRP which enables more stealth and less cost for maintaining. The most significant issue is that given the recent revelations of LTTE-North Korean ties, we can reasonably assume the transferring of FRP submarine technology to the LTTE, thus enabling them to build a much smaller vessel and eliminating the need for building-docks detectable by the Security Forces. When DefenceWire questioned prominent Naval Intelligence Sources, they were not fully aware of the potential threat of suicide torpedoes. Given the organization's history of striking economic targets, the Colombo Harbour could also be at risk from such attacks.

The Yugo Class Midget

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