SLN craft collides with fishing boat

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2000, 15:47 GMT]
A fisherman has been reported missing since 24 January after a Sri Lankan Navy patrol vessel collided with a fishing boat in the seas off Puttalam about 120 km north of Colombo.

The fisherman, Sinnavairavan Sivakoothar, 56, is father of four. His colleague, A. Selvarajah, 39, was rescued by another fishing boat. Both are from Udappu, a Tamil village in Puttalam.

Selvarajah said they were fishing with their signal lamps illuminated when the naval craft ploughed into their boat and continued sailing on.

Member of Parliament, Mr A.H.M. Asweer, has written to the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy to launch an investigation into the incident, which he described as an "irresponsible act".