LTTE possess eight ships

6 January 2011 09:15 am

The LTTE is still in possession of eight ships, which are being used for various illegal activities such as human smuggling, the government informed Parliament today.

Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardane placed this information before the House in response to a question by UNP MP Gamini Jayawickrama Perera.

Mr. Gunawardane said that though the LTTE was destroyed in May, 2009, its international network was still intact. According to the intelligence reports, he said, the LTTE had acquired 20 ships through various fraudulent means, but none of them had been registered under its name. The ship ‘Eeshwary’ used for the smuggling of Sri Lankan immigrants to Canada recently is one of them.

The Sri Lanka Navy, with the assistance of the Air Force has destroyed 11 of those ships. Besides, the Ministry of Defence still carries out investigations to curb the LTTE activities overseas through the co-ordination of intelligence services. (YP/KB)