One Dvora captured, weapons stripped - VOT

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 March 2001, 17:07 GMT]
The Voice of Tigers (VOT) said in its night news broadcast Wednesday that a battle erupted in mid sea when the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) attacked patrol craft of the Sea Tigers off the coast of Mullaithivu this morning. The Sea Tigers counter attacked, sinking one Dvora Fast Attack Craft and capturing another, the radio said. The Sea Tigers stripped the captured FAC of a 23 mm cannon, a 20 mm cannon, two 40 mm grenade launchers, two 50 calibre heavy machine guns etc., and sank the vessel, according to the VOT. Two Dvora’s in the SLN flotilla were damaged in the sea battle, the radio said.

The VOT said that four Sea Tigers were killed in the mid sea battle with the SLN Wednesday morning.

The Tigers also captured four PK Light Machine Guns, an AK LMG and large quantities of explosives from the captured Dvora, the radio said.

The Thamileela Vaanoli, the commercial broadcast of the VOT, said in its 5 p.m. news broadcast Wednesday that the SLN attack on the Sea Tigers was unprovoked and was aimed at distrupting the peace process.