2ND LEAD (UPDATE)

SLN destroys suspicious boat in the seas off Matara

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 04:49 GMT]
Sri Lankan military officials in Colombo have claimed that the Sri Lanka Navy destroyed a suspicious boat 230 nautical miles off Matara on Sri Lanka's southern coast around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Sri Lankan officials later said that the incident occurred 180 nautical miles from Dondra Point.

The boat had failed to stop following the warning shots fired by the SLN at the international waters.

The vessel took fire and exploded when SLN fired at the boat, military officials said.

The identity of the vessel is yet to be established.

The SLN had suspected that the boat, which was leaving the island, was owned by the LTTE.