Two Tiger boats sunk - SLN

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were sunk by the Sri Lanka Navy's (SLN) Dvora Inshore Patrol Craft after an hour long battle in the Mullaitivu sea near Challai, around 5:30 a.m. this morning, said SLN sources in Trincomalee.

There were six boats in the LTTE flotilla of which five were small and one large said the sources.

The Navy sources claimed that the boats had gone down with all hands on board, while no damage was sustained by the Dvora.

The LTTE's Sea Tigers, who are said to have an important base at Challai, have grown into a formidable force in the Mullaitivu sea.

The Sea Tigers have inflicted heavy damage to both SLN's fighting craft as well as to ships which carry supplies to troops in the north.

In the absence of supply route overland, troops of the Sri Lanka Army rely heavily on the SLN for supplies.