Red Cross Seeks Fate of Hijacked Ferry
The International Committee of the Red Cross, at the request of Sri Lanka, is trying to determine the fate of up to 144 people aboard a ferry hijacked by Tamil rebels, officials said Thursday.
The agency has contacted the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and is awaiting a reply, according to Paul Fruh, the agency’s deputy in Colombo.
The state-run ferry, which shuttled between northwest islands and the eastern port of Trincomalee, was hijacked Monday evening.
Navy gunboats sent to inspect the vessel were fired upon, a military spokesman, said. Twenty-one navy personnel were missing and presumed dead.
A 3-month-old cease-fire between the government and the Tamil rebels, who seek a separate homeland in northeastern Sri Lanka, broke down in April.
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