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The fighting began late Sunday night (Sept. 24, 2006) when the Sri-Lankan navy spotted 25 rebel ships sailing south. Navy Cmdr. D. K. P. Dassanayake told The Associated Press "more than 70 cadres are dead" and two other ships, believed to have been transporting arms and ammunition, were burning at sea. The remaining rebel boats retreated after the hostilities just off the coast of the eastern town of Pulmoddai, about 140 miles from the capital Colombo, he said. One of the Sri-Lankan Navy ships was damaged, injuring five sailors, but made it back to port.
The Tamil rebels are making a special effort to reinforce forces from the sea, in the eastern part of the island, hard pressed by Sri-Lankan army forces. More than 100 rebels were killed in two separate sea battles earlier this month as they reportedly try to reinforce positions in the east where they lost territory to government forces. The Tamil rebels began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland in the north and east for Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. (Associated Press)