But the biggest setbak came in early 1996, with the loss of a vessel variously named as the Liberation registered Julex Comex 3, Commes-Joux or Comex-Joux3. After leaving Phuket, she changed her name at sea to Horizon. But western intelligence source in Thailand leaked details of her voyage. On February 14, she was off-loading her cargo of weapons onto smaller craft near Trincomalee when Sri Lankan attack fighters and patrol boats moved in for the kill.

1997 saw an audacious scam, after the Tigers heard that the Sri Lankan government had ordered 32,000 mortar shells manufactured by Zimbabwe Defence Industries. They simply sent one of their vessels to the Mozambique port of Beira and were able to pick up the consignment by pretending she was acting for the Sri Lankan authorities. The bombs were later used against government forces.

Press and intelligence sources have named vessels believed to have undertaken missions for the Tigers. Most are small general cargoships, registered in Panama, Honduras or Liberia and owned by front companies.

Lloyds List has been able to trace two vesels thought to have undertaken work for the Tigers. In their most recent incarnations, they have traded as the Venus and the Emerald, utilizing a closely interlinked international network of owning and operating companies. The Venus first enters the picture in October 1987, when the 4,310 dwt general cargoship was known as the Iiliyana, and was reported to have unloaded weapons off Mullativu. She has had eight changes of name in 1989, in addition to one period in which her identity is not known. She went onto become the Sun Bird, the Omiros, the Victory, the Victory 9, the Ola, the MGD 1 and the Laluna de Mar1, and has since June last year traded under her present name, under the registered ownership of a Syrian-based entity, Zayoud. Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper has named two ships - the Yalicia and the Pethiya - as Tiger vessels. In fact, these are both names previously used by the Emerald, between July 1989 and April 1992 and between June 1992 and February 1993 respectively.

The 1,197 dwt general cargoship was last known to be managed by a company called Maramar Shipping, of 2 Afentoull Street, Piracus. Industry sources name Maramar's parent as Sea Freighters Navigation, of the same address, and the principals as a Mr. Ejaz, a Pakistani national. - 4 - However, the company appears not to have traded for around a year, and its listed phone and fax lines are dead. Sea Freighters was established in 1991, and appears to have been the key company in the Tamil Tigers' shipping network. It also had extensive past involvement with the Venus and its former incarnations. As well as sharing an address with Miramar, Sea Freighters controlled four companies in Honduras. These are Apatitie Shipping Company (founded 1992) Chariot Shipping Company (1992) Naviera de Pacifico (1994) AND Prado Shipping (1991). These companies are among the previous and present registered owners of both the Venus and the Emerald.

For instance, Apatite owned the Venus from June 1992 to December 1994. After that, the ship changed hands and was owned by Naviera until September 1996. The Emerald has been owned by Naviera until September 1996. The Emerald has been owned by Chariot since June 1992. The Venus and the Emerald share another past common owner, Point Pedro Shipping Inc. which is registered at a box number in Panama City.

Point Pedro - named after the northern tip of Sri Lanka, in the Tamil heartlands - was the registered owner of the Venus from January 1989 to May 1992, and the Emrald during May 1992. The last company linked to the Tiger fleet is Vikram Shipping - last given address Lot 5 92, 5rh Floor, Wisma Central, Jalan Ampang, P.O. Box. 469, Kuala Lumpur and also believed now to be inactive. Records indicate that Vikram may have owned Point Pedro while the latter company was registered owner to the Venus and the Emerald.

It also owned Maramar Shipping before that company was controlled by Sea Freighters. Who controls the vessels now? How many others do the Tigers control? What missions have they undertaken? Do other insurgent movements also own fleets? Many questions remain to be answered.

It is clear from the foregoing that the Sri Lankan government's strategy to counter LTTE internationally has failed. It may be of interest to look deeper into various areas of our failed strategies.

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