Rebels Suspected of Hiding Bombs in Fish
July 22, 2003
The army suspects Tamil fighters are smuggling explosives inside the carcasses of large fish, a news report said Tuesday.
Troops in the northern port of Point Pedro recently ordered a fisherman to cut open a hammerhead shark he had caught, said TamilNet Web site, which reports on Tamil affairs.
No explosives were found. But the Defense Ministry defended such fish inspections, saying they were aimed at stopping smuggling.
The Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels have been observing a February 2002 cease-fire that halted 19 years of fighting.
About 65,000 people were killed in the conflict. But the rebels withdrew from talks last April accusing the government of doing little to help displaced Tamils.