5.8 MILLION STEEL BALLS IN MANNAR SRI LANKA AND 1950 DETONATORS IN TAMIL NADU INDICATE TAMIL TIGERS ARE STILL SMUGGLING WAR MATERIAL

By Walter Jayawardhana

The discovery of 1950 detonators in Tamil Nadu , India and 5.8 million India made steel balls in Mannar, Sri Lanka on two consecutive days of March 28 and 29 indicate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is still active in smuggling in war like material for the terrorist activities in the island nation.

Police reports in the Q Branch of the Tamil Nadu Police said 1950 electrical detonators were discovered buried in sand in sacks at Uchipuli in the coastal district of Rameswaram, in Tamil Nadu, South India, March 28.

Security forces personnel on duty at a road block at Pulleady Erakkam on the Madawachchiya – Mannar main road apprehended a lorry which was carrying 15.2 million steel balls in 650 sacks s and pharmaceutical items suspected to be smuggled from India to the LTTE yesterday, Thursday the 29th of March.

Despite Police vigilance in Tamil Nadu and claims of continued Navy surveillance both by India and Sri Lanka the LTTE continues to bring in bomb making materials from India, the source of the insurgent outfits’ main supply station these days.

The Sri lanka Army said that a driver and his assistant transoporting 650 boxes of metal balls, 38 bandage roles, 810 saline bottles, 50 sodium chloride packets, 52 plaster roles, 40 knee guards and 80 injection syringes were taken into custody Thursday (29) by the troops at a roadblock in Pulleady Erakkam, in a lorry proceeding towards Mannar from the Eastern town of Batticaloa.
The driver of the lorry Subramanium Raveendran and his subordinate Gopal Panneer Selwam were also arrested by the Police Murunkan the Ministry of Defense sources said.

Both suspects are residents of Thanndikulam in Vavuniya the lorry belongs to a person in Vavuniya, Police sources further said.

Police said over 15.2 Million steel balls, 850 saline bottles, 25 Acid barrels (20L each), 06 Iron acid barrels (35L each), 90 Sugar bags (50Kg each), 10 dhal bags (25Kg each), 42 roles of Barbed wire and other pharmaceutical items were inside the lorry which was apprehended last evening.

Meanwhile the Q Branch thinks the 1950 electrical detonators found buried in the coconut grove was also meant to be to be smuggled out to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Many have been arrested in this connection.