LTTE attempted to blast the ship- Captain Ramaz Abdul
[Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 8.30 GMT]  

Ramaz S. Abdul Jabbar, Captain of the Jordanian vessel Farah III, who fell into LTTE custody said that the LTTE abducted them threatening to blow up the anchor of the ship.    

The Captain of the vessel, describing their harrowing experience after abduction, told media that the LTTE abducted him with his crew at about 3. 30 a.m. on 23rd last.    

Captain Abdul Jabbar further said that they embarked on 15th last from Kakinada harbor in India carrying a cargo of 14000 metric tones of rice and as engine trouble developed about 120 nautical miles away from Sri Lanka the ship drifted to the sea limits of Sri Lanka.

The Captain said his second Officer in the ship who informed him that he had seen 6 small boats through radar in the 23rd morning and the boats wanted to
communicate with the ship telling that they were boats belonging Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) but he became suspicious due to several gunshots heard around him.  

Thereafter the Captain swiftly moving to action had issued danger signals that his ship was besieged by pirates. These messages had been received by the Maritime Rescuing Coordinating Centre at Falmouth and they in turn had informed the SLN. The Sri Lankan Navy that swiftly moved closer to the boats had seen that the Tiger boats had surrounded the ship.   

Captain Abdul Jabbar further said that three out of the group that came in boats forcibly entered the ship and asked for batteries, another person tried to stall explosives near the anchor and some others were seen damaging the communication system of the ship.  

There was no action that the crew could take as the LTTE members forced them to enter the small boats with them and reached the Mullativu shores without
any sort of security and as a result of unsecured traveling two persons of the crew have fallen ill, the Captain added.    

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Last Updated Date: December 26, 2006 -8.30 GMT