Four navy survivors picked up by Indian trawlers

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Navy headquarters reported the presence of four Sri Lankan personnel in South India just hours after Sri Lanka requested the Indian Coast Guard to assist in the search for the missing vessel Valampuri .

The Foreign Ministry was making arrangements to bring them down to Colombo. Before this there was one instance of a group of Sri Lankan commandos who had drifted in a dinghy to Thai territory after an abortive attack on Kaddaparaichan LTTE base in the Trincomalee district in 1990.

Military officials said that they could not rule out the possibility of more such survivors.

Despite a joint naval and air search the Sri Lankan military has so far failed to locate Valampuri. As the search continued for Valampuri, the navy divers had located SLNS Pabbatha sunk exactly one and half miles north of Palmyrah point between Kankesanthurai and Point Pedro.

The military was expected to explore the possibility of salvaging two T-86 Infantry Combat Vehicles [ICVs] which went down with the SLNS Pabbatha when Black Sea Tiger suicide squads rammed it with their explosive packed speed boats on Sunday night. The two Chinese tracked ICVs attached to the Third Reconnaissance Regiment were being taken back for re-deployment in the Jaffna peninsula.

'The Island' learns that the two ICVs were among many other Armoured Fighting Vehicles [AFVs] called to Colombo for the Independence Day tri-services parade and were among more than a dozen ICVs acquired in September 1996.

"We are inquiring into the possibility of salvaging SLNS Pabbatha as well" an officer said. The navy headquarters is awaiting a report by the drivers. Foreign trained officers have been sent there to inspect Pabbatha and assess the possibility of salvaging it.

Navy Commander Rear Admiral Cecil Tissera had visited the scene of the confrontation. Already all small arms, communication equipment and vessels mounted guns had been salvaged by the divers.

It was not clear whether the massive explosion caused by the blast had damaged the ICVs. This was the first time Sea Tigers managed to sink a landing craft carrying AFVs. The military high command has been moving T-55 medium battle tanks and AFVs between the northern theatre of operation and the rest of the operational zones.

At the moment bulk of the T-55s and AFVs are deployed in the Wanni in support of Sri Lanka's longest and the bloodiest ground offensive, Jayasikuru.

By Monday evening navy had recovered bodies of five army and four navy personnel who were travelling on board SLNS Pabbatha.

Even upto yesterday afternoon the exact number of security forces personnel on board the vessel at the time of the attack remained unclear. A total of 61 people had been saved. They include 43 army, 16 navy and two civilians who were rescued from the doomed vessel.

People engaged in relief work quoting the clandestine radio Voice of Tigers [VOT] said yesterday that 11 Black Sea Tigers and eight Sea Tigers were killed in the Sunday's seaborne attacks off Pt. Pedro. The VOT had identified the cadres killed in the attack. The dead terrorists included self styled lieutenant colonel Karna or Kannan who led the attack.

Military officials however insisted that Sea Tigers lost at least 40 cadres in the battle. Three explosives packed speed boats operated by Black Sea Tigers had rammed the vessels while another had exploded when sailors fired at it.

Navy's largest transport vessel, SLNS Shakthi had been among many vessels in the convoy. It had reached Kankesanthurai before Sea Tigers mounted the attack. Chinese built SLNS Shakthi had carried a large number of troops.

Monitoring of enemy transmissions and VOT had not revealed anything about Valampuri. The VOT had claimed that two vessels were destroyed. Meanwhile the Navy continued to maintain a heavy presence in the area.

At the time of the attack, Pabbatha was carrying approximately 50 soldiers and 26 Navy personnel. Of them 43 soldiers and 14 Navy personnel had been rescued. Valampuri was carrying 25 Navy personnel. Navy had so far failed to locate Valampuri or recover bodies of any personnel on board that vessel. By yesterday evening bodies of seven personnel [four Army and three Navy] had been recovered. Some of the bodies were airlifted to Colombo yesterday.

"We believe some died as a result of the explosions caused by the suicide attacks," a navy officer said.

The navy had mounted an operation to recover bodies trapped inside the vessels.

Navy headquarters spokesman said that at least eight enemy craft were destroyed in the engagement. He placed the number of Sea Tigers dead at over 40.

Pabbatha had been built by Vospers of Singapore. It was one of the first two landing craft acquired by the Sri Lankan Navy in October 1985. It was commissioned on December 21, 1987 when Lalith Athulathmudali was the National Security Minister. Pabbatha's sister vessel, Kandula commissioned on the same day sank off Kalpitiya coast in October 1992 during Admiral Clancy Fernando's period. Kandula sank as a result of bad weather.

Pabbatha repulsed several terrorist attacks in the past decade. It also survived a terrorist suicide boat attack off the Jaffna coast several years ago.

Several years after acquiring Kandula and Pabbatha, the Navy commissioned two landing craft, Ranagaja in November '91 and Ranavijaya in July '94. Both are in active service today.

Later a Chinese built landing craft was acquired. The military said that China gifted another 50 tonne landing craft when Sri Lanka entered into an agreement to acquire a Chinese sub-chaser, a 250 tonne landing ship tank and two Shanghai class gunboats. Sri Lanka has already taken delivery of the sub-chaser and the 250 tonne landing ship tank. "We are hoping to take delivery of the gun boats later this year," sources said.

This agreement has been reached before Vice Admiral Cecil Tissera took over the command.

Military sources said that Valampuri one and two were used previously to ferry civilians between Jaffna island and Kankesanthurai and the other one between Kalpitiya and Mannar south. One of the vessels sunk off Colombo coast several months ago due to bad weather.

The passenger vessel destroyed off Point Pedro was returning to Kankesanthurai after repairs at Trincomalee when Sea Tigers engaged the convoy.

The military believes that the attackers had come from Chalai. Despite repeated attacks, Sea Tiger facilities remain at Chalai south of LTTE controlled Mullaithivu. Kfirs engaged suspected Sea Tiger facilities at Chalai after the attack on the convoy Sunday night.

Pabbatha was the 12th naval vessel sunk by Sea Tigers since this government came into power in August 1994.

Sri Lanka's largest patrol vessel [at that time] Sagarawardene was blasted by Sea Tigers off Mannar coast on September 20, 1994.

Two Shanghai class gunboats were blasted by terrorist frogmen at Trincomalee on April 19, 1995 breaking the cease-fire with the PA government. Other vessels including Fast Attack Craft were destroyed in separate engagements in the northern and eastern naval areas.

Military officials further said that the attack would not have an impact on the ongoing Wanni offensive, Jayasikuru. All supplies to Jayasikuru forces go overland.

Sea Tigers have been at the receiving end in the past couple of months. The Navy has been able to inflict heavy losses on elite Sea Tigers. Sunday's attack was the biggest and the most successful strike against the Navy since Vice Admiral Cecil Tissera replaced Admiral Mohan Samarasekara in January last year.

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