Sea Tigers sink SLN warship in Trinco Harbour

Sea Tiger commandos sink SLN supply ship in Trinco Harbour [TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2008, 21:40 GMT]

A troop carrier and supply ship of the Sri Lanka Navy, named A-520, was sunk by the Sea Tigers Black Tiger underwater naval commandos in the Trincomalee Harbour at 2:23 a.m. Saturday, according to initial reports by the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) officials in Vanni.
The attack was carried out by the commandos from Kangkai Amaran unit of the Sea Tigers.
The A520 supply ship and troop carrier has been engaged by the Sri Lanka Navy in its attacks against Tiger vessels in 2007.
The ship has lately been engaged in naval service between KKS and Trincomalee by the Sri Lanka Navy.
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Updated: Friday, 09 May 2008, 14:28 GMT4TH LEAD (New photos from battlefront)
30 SLA killed, 5 bodies recovered, arms seized in Mannaar - LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 May 2008, 07:53 GMT]

30 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed, five dead bodies of SLA troops were recovered after heavy fighting at Ka'rukkaaykku'lam Friday morning, according to
LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Two PK Light Machine Guns, three AK LMG, five T-56 assault rifles and military hardware including ammunitions
were seized by the Tigers. The SLA, while pulling back was towing an Armoured Personnel Carrier that had caught fire, the Tigers said. Ka'rukkaaykku'lam is
located 2 km east of Adampan.

An LTTE woman cadre in the LTTE frontline, approaching a war-dead SLA soldier at Ka'rukkaaykku'lam in Mannaar [Photo: LTTE Photo Unit]
he Tigers had put up heavy resistance confronting the SLA in its attempt to advance with the support of air-attacks by the Sri Lanka Air Force and indirect fire using
Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRL), artillery and mortar. The fighting which began at 5:30 a.m. ended around 8:00 a.m. when the SLA units were forced to retreat.
Arrangements were underway to handover the SLA dead bodies through the ICRC, the Tigers said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army claimed only 2 of their soldiers were killed in action, claiming that Adampan had been brought under their control. 15 Tigers were killed,
the SLA claimed.
The pass office of the LTTE, during the CFA period, was located at Ka'rukkaaykku'lam.
Arms and ammunitions seized by the TigersDead bodies of SLA soldiers Water cans among military equiptments Arms seized by the Tigers
LTTE cadres in Mannaar [Photo: LTTE]

Sri Lankan Businessmen in UK line up to build houses for valiant soldiers

(By Walter Jayawardhana)
The United Kingdom based Sri Lankan expatriate businessmen lined up to support Sri Lanka Defence Ministry sponsored "Api Wenuwen Api" - 50,000 housing
units project for the disabled as well as active soldiers fighting for the integrity of the country.
The UK based businessmen showed their solidarity with Sri Lanka's fighting men when Api Wenuwen Api United Kingdom project was ceremonially launched at the
Sri Lanka High Commission in Hyde Park Gardens in London.
Creating high hopes among the movers of the Api Wenuwen Api United Kingdom unit to collect 100,000 British Pounds for the project a leading expatriate
businessman, Sam Chandrasinghe donated 10,000 British Pounds out of the 20,000 he has pledged at the ceremonial inauguration.
Chandrasena said , that he was extremely happy to be part of a movement to help the soldiers who are ready to lay their lives for the motherland.
Sam Chandrasena , the owner of the renown business Sam's Chicken outlets all over London presented his cheque for the fund to Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe ,
the Defense Advisor of London's Sri Lanka High Commission who accepted it on behalf of the Ministry of Defense , Sri Lanka.
Chanaka Olagama the country manager of Sri Lanka Air Lines donated 25 return tickets to bring performing artists from Sri Lanka to participate in three Sri Lankan
musical and cultural shows to be held in London, Birmingham and Manchester to raise funds for the same cause in September.
At the ceremony Suranja Thilakarane of he Wembley Guest House handed over a letter of pledge to accommodate the Sri Lankan artists of shows for ten days when
they arrive in London, next September .
Major N.L.C. Perera (retired) who had served the Sri Lanka Army and led the Ceylon Cadet battalion Contingent in the first independence day parade in Colombo
and who had served the country for 26 years was the guest of honour at the ceremony who sold the first raffle ticket to the Sri Lanka High Commissioner in London,
Mrs. Kshenuka Seniwiratne.
Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe thanked Dushmantha Wijekoon and Amal Weerasinghe for constructing a web site for UK based Api Wenuwen Api ,Dash Goonewardene, the Managing Director of Paradise Travels for sponsoring the printing collateral including raffle tickets and
Rohan and Indika Jayasena of Prestige Creations for creating the logo free of charge for the movement..
Bigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said already 1620 houses under the project are nearing completion at Ipologama Anuradhapura . He said the UK raised money will be
exclusively spent for the second phase of the project which would include schools, shopping complexes and a gymnasium, health facilities etc. to be built near
Horowpatana.

Extortion filling Tiger coffers - US State Department

US: The LTTE continued to finance itself with contributions from the Tamil Diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, by imposing local "taxes" on businesses operating in the areas it dominates and reportedly by extortion operations in Government-controlled areas, the US State Department said yesterday.The Department's just-released Country Report on Terrorism said the LTTE also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fundraising."In November, the US Government designated under Executive Order 13224 and froze the US-held assets of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, a charity associated with the LTTE. The LTTE previously used such funds for weapons purchases on the international black market and also captured arms from Sri Lankan security forces. The Sri Lankan Navy sunk three LTTE supply ships in September and another in October," the report said.After a period of targeting Sri Lankan military and official personnel throughout 2007, the LTTE appears to have recently resumed its targeting of civilians, the Report noted.It said the Government took effective control of the Eastern Province in midyear, but the LTTE continued to control much of the north and carried out attacks throughout the country.The Sri Lankan Army remained deployed across the country in all areas it controlled to fight the insurgency.The Special Task Force (STF) police were deployed both in the East and in strategic locations in the West.In late November and December, government forces increased activity against targets in the North."The LTTE and the Karuna faction were charged with forced conscription and child recruitment. In general, the LTTE did not intentionally target U.S. citizens or assets, limiting attacks to Sri Lankan security forces, political figures, civilians, and businesses.However, attacks occurred within the vicinity of the U.S. embassy and personnel; the U.S. Ambassador was travelling in a helicopter that came under mortar fire in February. The LTTE subsequently apologized for the incident," the report added.It recalled that Sri Lankan cooperation with the FBI resulted in arrests of persons charged with material support to terrorist groups.The U.S. provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector. The Government of Sri Lanka cooperated with the United States to implement both the Container Security Initiative and the Megaports programme at the port of Colombo.The report said fighting between the LTTE and the Sri Lanka government escalated in 2006 and continued through 2007. Political assassinations and bombings were commonplace tactics prior to the cease-fire and have increased again since mid-2005.