When the LTTE merchant ship was attacked

Tamil Tigers supremo V. Prabhakaran (Thalaivar) had instructed his militants in international waters to bring two newly designed boats from Indonesia to Tamil Eelam.

Accordingly, one ship was led by martyr ship captain Lt. Colonel Stephan alias Vetriyarasan with one boat and
another ship named MV Soshin(or Seysin) led by martyr ship captain Major Nirmalan with another boat, took charge. Accordingly, this operation was carried out with great care as it was the first delivery after the loss of the ship, named MT Koimer led by martyr ship captain Lt. Col. Ranjan on 10.3.2003 in the international waters, 240 nautical miles off the east cost of Tamil Eelam.

The move was made by Lt. Col. Stephen to take the boat 250 miles from the shore and give it to Major Nirmalan, and he had to leave the two boats 200 nautical miles off the coast of Mullaitivu. The plan was to reach Tamil Eelam coast with the support of the fast gunboats of the Sea Tigers, the maritime armed wing of Tamil Tigers. According to the plan, Major Nirmalan’s ship set sail with his boat to the destination on the second day and then the ship of Lt. Col Stephen left with his boat on the second day.

The ships were RADAR-monitored by the crew of the Stephen’s ship as they sailed horizontally at a distance of about four nautical miles. However, due to the night and the heavy shipping lanes, they continued their voyage without considering the ships that were nearing them.

On the early morning of 14.6.2003 naval ships of Sri Lankan Navy intercepted Major
Nirmalan’s ship. He immediately sent this information to Stephen. So stephen immediately put his ship on the international shipping lane. Inside the Major Nirmalan’s ship, there was a another rebel ship captain, Lt. Colonel Thennavan sitting on the newly designed boat with another Tiger cadre.

In this predicament, ship 2nd officer Lt. Col. Veeramani from Nirmalan’s ship untied the boat, cut the rope and ordered him to escape from the siege. The navy did not let go of the boat as it tried to escape, but at one point the boat pulled out of the siege to evacuate as the crew tried to collide with the navy. Negotiations for their release were in full swing as it was a peacetime. At one point Thennavan, who was in contact with those on board, asked, “Shall we come aboard?” the contact with the ship was cut off when the crew told, “Navy ships are attacking us, don’t come, you escape.”

At the end of the siege 11 Naval cadres of Sea Tigers with long maritime experience were killed in the international waters along with a ‘ _Naattuppatraalar_ ‘ Mohan as negotiations went useless. Later, Lt. Col. Thennavan’s boat was recovered that night by Stephen’s ship.

In this action, on the side of the Tamil Tigers, Ship Captain Major Nirmalan, Chief Officer Lt. Col. Kathir, 2nd Officer Lt. Col. Veeramani, 3rd Officer Major Kanniyanaadan, Radio Officer Lt. Col. Kajenthiran, Chief Engineer Lt. Col. Anpukkumaran, 2nd Engineer Black Sea Tiger Major Valluvan, 3rd Engineer Black Sea Tiger Major Nimal alias Nimaal, Electric Engineer Major Veeranathan, Able seaman Captain Chezhiyan alias Anpuvetri and ‘ _Naattuppatraalar_ ‘ Mohan were killed.