Sri Lanka has to closely watch Indo-Lanka maritime boundary to thwart attempts by terror groups such as the LTTE, who may try to re-establish a clandestine line of communication between northern the island nation and India, commander of the Lankan navy, vice admiral TSG Samarasinghe, said.
“Maintaining surveillance over the Indian fishing fleet, as well as the local fishing population is one of the most important aspects of the overall Lankan naval strategy in the post-war era,” he told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. “Although the LTTE no longer poses a conventional military threat, Sri Lanka shouldn’t be complacent,” he added.
The navy chief emphasised the importance of a “permanent blockade” of the clandestine India-Lanka sea route to thwart any eventuality.
With technical and photographic evidence, Samarasinghe explained how the LTTE had cleverly exploited the Indian fishing fleet to its advantage.
He said that over 500 Indian fishing craft poach in Sri Lankan waters on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and that their presence could be exploited by terrorists.
Setting up of fishing marshalling points had helped the close monitoring of boats in and out of Lanka, but still, illegal movements were taking place, he said.
In the post-war era, there could be “serious disputes” between Lankan and Indian fishermen due to the Indians’ poaching in Lankan waters.
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