By DPA
Colombo : Three ships carrying a large stock of arms, ammunition and a light aircraft for Tamil rebels were intercepted and destroyed off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda said Tuesday.
The vessels were detected 1,200 km southeast of Dondra, a southern coastal town, and were destroyed Monday after they failed to stop when warning shots were fired, the commander said.
About 45 suspected Tamil rebels on board the three vessels were feared killed, he said.
He said the navy had evidence suggesting that the ships were carrying arms and ammunition for the rebels.
“They were carrying a light aircraft in knocked-down form, a bullet-proof vehicle, and also artillery guns,” the navy commander said, quoting intelligence reports.
The vessels was around 70 metres long each and carried the names Seishin, Koshi and Mayoshi, but the names were believed to be fake and the vessels were not running under any country’s flag, the commander explained.
The three vessels were destroyed amid reports that one of the key figures involved in procuring weapons for the rebels had been arrested in Thailand Monday.
Over the last one and half years at least six ships carrying military hardware for the rebels have been destroyed off the southeastern, eastern and northeastern coasts of the country.
Two of the vessels were sunk in March, and one in February.