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Why do Tamils abroad think that hitting the economy of a country where those people they want to liberate live will help their 'struggle'?

Flying Tigers Elevate Conflict to New Heights

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

They took off from unknown locations within tiger controlled territory in the northern mainland of the Wanni; they flew hundreds of kilometres over hostile territory in the darkness of night ; they flew at low altitude to avoid being spotted on radar; and swooped down suddenly from the skies above their target area; they ejected their bombs on specific targets scoring 70% strike success; they flew back, missions accomplished , as pandemonium reigned below; they returned home and landed to be swallowed up into invisibility; they wait patiently for the next chance to soar again , strike and return home safely.

These were the small aircraft belonging to the fledgling air wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that has defied all odds by conducting three ?known? sorties in five weeks. The air wing dubbed Tamil Eelam Air Force (TAF) by the LTTE has dropped bombs on specific targets in Katunayake , Palaly, Myliddy , Kolonnawa and Kerawalapitiya. The extent of damage inflicted by the TAF may be disputed but the awesome shock of it all has rocked the nation.The effect is greater than the cause!

The LTTE?s nascent air wing has actually flown four sorties so far to bomb targets. The first one was on August 11th last year when two planes flew over Palaly and dropped a few bombs. It was a flop as they were all completely off - target. The mission was part of an ambitious bid by the LTTE to paralyse Trincomalee and invade Jaffna peninsula simultaneously. That plan backfired and was aborted. The air attack also failed.

LTTE attacks hit tourism in Sri Lanka

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram: Air strikes by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are costing the tourism industry of Sri Lanka dear. Also, travel plans of hundreds of people transiting through the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo have been disrupted.

The three air attacks since March 26 have created panic among foreign tourists. Hoteliers, travel agents and tourist guides who were expecting a good flow of tourists are in despair. Travellers, including transit passengers from India, had to face hardship after the airport, near the Katunayake airbase, was closed in the face of the latest attack on Sunday.

Chaos prevailed in hotels and residential complexes minutes after the attack. A media team from Kerala, on a week's tour to Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Government and SriLankan Airlines, witnessed the counterattack by the military. Anti-aircraft gun bursts went close by the five-star deluxe hotel where the team, tourists and crews of many airlines were staying.

As air attacks are new to the nation, the local people and hotel staff are unaware of steps to be taken in such an emergency.

Many foreign tourists said they would not venture into the island nation till the unrest was solved.

Shane Iddamalgoda, a national guide of Sri Lankan Tourism Board, who was in the hotel, told The Hindu that the LTTE attacks had resulted in a sharp fall in tourist arrivals. 'We just depend on the European and Indian markets for survival. If the unrest continues, the tourists will skip the island nation,' he said.

Hoteliers in Sri Lanka have scaled down staff strength to reduce operating costs following the sharp fall in occupancy. The tourism industry is worried, as foreign tourists cannot be expected to take a risk and visit the island.

The aerial attacks came weeks after SriLankan Airlines had kicked off a campaign to woo tourists to the island nation.