relief could lead to a resumption of fighting. The tidal waves did enormous damage to the LTTE in its base area of the Sri Lankan northeast. The LTTE has long survived via imported weapons and other supplies, brought over from Tamil areas of southern India. The LTTE "fleet" suffered great damage. An exact count is difficult to make, as most of the LTTE smuggling is done via fishing boats, pretending to be fishing, not moving cargo. The fishing villages and port towns of the northeast also supported the LTTE in the northeast, and these have suffered enormous damage, with many structures
