Sri Lankan navy stops aid ship from British Tamils

COLOMBO: A freighter loaded with aid funded by British Tamils has been intercepted and ordered to anchor by the Sri Lankan navy.

At least half of the 884 tonnes of aid on the Captain Ali, a Syrian-registered vessel, has been provided by Tamils living in Britain.

The ship's 13 crew members and two passengers - one of whom is British - have been detained on board by armed officers until the Sri Lankan navy decides whether or not they can proceed to a port.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Government announced yesterday that it would consider prosecuting the doctors working in the war zone who were the only source of news about shelling of Tamil civilians for "collaboration with the LTTE".

The doctors have been arrested and held without charge.

- INDEPENDENT