11 September, 2008 - Published 12:29 GMT

'Indian staff injured' in LTTE attack

The Sri Lankan government has admitted that Indian nationals were injured in an attack by the Tamil Tigers.

Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told journalists in Colombo on Thursday that two Indian nationals sustained injuries when the LTTE launched an attack on the Vavuniya military complex earlier this week.

The Sri Lanka miltary said they had shot down a Tamil Tiger plane that came for the pre-dawn attack on Tuesday, while the LTTE said that they destroyed the Radar installation inside the military complex.

Military denial

Indian High Commission Spokesperson Dinkar Asthana told BBC Tamil service on Tuesday that two radar technicians working within the complex were injured in Tuesday's attack.

"There are no foreign nationals working in the Sri Lankan military," he told the BBC Sinhala service on Tuesday.

Minister Yapa said that he was not aware whether the injured Indian nationals, "those in a service contract" were technical or military personnel.

He said that they were aiding the Sri Lankan military with the newly installed radar facility.

"We should be thankful to our powerful neighbour India for providing us with modern radar equipment and staff for our security," he added.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) called upon the Indian government to "make it's stand clear," with regard to the situation in Sri Lanka.

The All India Secretary of CPI Doraisamy Raja told the BBC Tamil Service, "There is a full scale war going in Sri Lanka. It cannot be taken as a normal situation".

He demanded that India disclose whether the injured Indian nationals were
"part of Indian army or civilians helping the Indian army".

He also wanted to know how many more Indians are currently in Sri Lanka helping the military.