Fishermen’s story of port attack

By Malik Gunatilleke

Negombo’s fishermen are seeking justice after some fishermen were arrested on suspicion of involvement with the LTTE, in the aftermath of a failed attack on the Colombo harbour last week.

The Sea Street-Kudapaduwa Fishermen’s Federation (SKFF) has appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to release the arrested fishermen, who the federation claims are innocent. But the Navy claims the fishermen had guided the LTTE suicide boats in to the harbour.

The Navy also claimed they opened fire on three LTTE boats attempting to enter the restricted area, near the harbour, destroying two of them.

Maria Fernando with her children

But the fishermen claim the Navy had destroyed two of their fishing craft.

Immediately after the incident on January 27, nine fishermen were arrested and six of them were released the next day.

The following day however, six more had been arrested.

The controversy surrounding the arrest of the fishermen has sparked reactions from the fishing community and unions.

W.J. Peiris, one of the six fishermen released describing last Saturday’s incident said, they had heard a loud explosion but did not witness any clashes between any groups.

According to him two Navy vessels sailed towards a fishing boat in front of his and the fishermen had been ordered to dive into the water. On hearing this he and his crew members had also dived in to the water.

Later he said nine fishermen including him had been handcuffed, blindfolded and taken for questioning by the Navy.“We didn’t see any suspicious craft or any unusual activity that called for such an attack on us,” he lamented.

Meanwhile Navy Spokesman, Commander D.K. Dasanayaka told The Sunday Times three fishermen including one Tamil fisherman had confessed to have planned the attack with the LTTE. He claimed that the two vessels that were exploded by the Navy were LTTE suicide vessels loaded with explosives.

Commander Dasanayake said that the fishermen had confessed that they had received money from the LTTE in return for guiding them into the harbour.

He said although the two vessels that were blasted had the necessary registration stickers on them, they could have been forgeries.

He said the Navy opened fire only after the vessels had come into the restricted zone around the Colombo harbour. However, according to the report issued by the Media Centre for National Security on January 27, the suspicious boats were destroyed before they had entered the restricted zone.Search operations are still on as no bodies of any suspected LTTE cadres have been found. Meanwhile SKFF treasurer Cannisius Fernando says they are determined to prove that these fishermen are innocent. He said the fishing craft as well as the fishermen were registered under the law that was passed about 8 months ago which required all fishing craft to have a sticker bearing the registration number.

“These are hard working, poor people from the area and we know them personally. We can vouch that they have no connections with the LTTE,” he said.

Mr. Fernando said the Navy had not found any weapons or explosives on the boats and they had no evidence to connect the fishermen with the LTTE. SKFF Project Manager K.M.A Perera said the fishing community was patriotic and did not tolerate traitors but they will not accept the accusations against these apprehended fishermen.

“The official reports are false as we are sure of the innocence and honesty of these men because we have lived and worked with them,” he said.

Meanwhile the families of these arrested fishermen are waging a battle for survival. Some of them have to depend on the generosity of their already poverty- stricken relatives and neighbours.

Maria Fernando, wife of Nimal Fernando, owner of one of the boats that came under Navy fire, said neither she nor her children have been allowed to speak to him.

“My children are refusing to go to school as they are embarrassed and saddened by the incident. We only want him to be sent back home,” she cried out.

Maria Consi and N. Chandra, mothers of the other two fishermen on the same boat said that they depended on their sons’ incomes for survival.

Chandra said her son was only 17 years old and he was the one who provided for the family after her husband abandoned the family.