SLN patrol boat captured - Mutur LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 June 2001, 14:47 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers said Saturday that they captured a patrol boat from the Sri Lanka Navy Friday morning in a surprise attack in the sea off the Sampur coast, south of Trincomalee. The LTTE, in press note issued in Mutur Saturday, said that the Sea Tigers captured a grenade launcher, an outboard motor and a communication set from the SLN in the sea attack. SLN casualties are not known, the press note added. Sampur is controlled by the Liberation Tigers. Meanwhile, the TamilNet correspondent in Mutur said that Sri Lanka Navy gunboats opened fire on the Sampur village Saturday morning. Two civilians were wounded and a school and several houses were damaged in the SLN shelling, he said.

Several cattle too were killed in the SLN bombardment, according to reports from the LTTE controlled interior of the Mutur region.

The LTTEís press note said that the Sea Tigers had targeted SLN patrol boats which were in the habit of harassing and assaulting fishermen from the village of Sampur at sea. Sampur lies in the southern part of the Trincomalee bay.