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NT Bureau
Chennai, May 15:
 

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOCINC) of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Raman Suthan addressing a press conference yesterday. Also seen is Naval Officer-in-Charge, Tamilnadu, Commodore P E Van Haltren.

        Indian Navy has further strengthened its multilayered surveillance from the coastline to maritime boundary at the Palk Bay, an exclusive zone in high seas between India and Sri Lanka.

        Effective surveillance called for detailed and coordinated effort with Lankan Navy to identify fishing boats and trawlers that did not belong to India for maintaining peace and tranquility in the maritime boundary, said Vice Admiral Raman P Suthan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOCINC) of the Eastern Naval Command. Speaking at a press conference yesterday in INS Adyar, the Navy Office, he said due to conflicts between Lankan Navy and Sea Tigers, the naval wing of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, there was an heightened activity in Palk Bay, and 'we are in constant touch with Lankan authorities for better networking and exchange of information to maintain peace and tranquility in high seas.' The number of patrolling ships had been raised to four and two more UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) would be added to the single unit being used by war ships guarding the international waters at the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar.

        Of late, the number of fishing boats from Tamilnadu venturing in Lankan water had increased and Indian Navy would prevent such a cross-over at the maritime boundary, he said. Following the Lankan government's ban on fishing in and around northern coastline for easy identification of Sea Tigers, more Indian boats were venturing into alien waters that have abundant catch. Indian Navy has now increased its surveillance mission as there was 'spill-over of the conflict between Lankan forces and Sea Tigers' into the international waters and patrolling has been strengthened to prevent smuggling, drug-trafficking and unbridled flow of refugees across the Palk Bay, triggered by violence in the island-country.

        However, he flatly rejected any idea of 'joint patrolling with Lankan Navy' with which 'we would coordinate through telecom links for regulating the sea-lane traffic.'

        To put in place an effective system for surveillance, Raman Suthan said a dialogue was on with State government and other agencies for obtaining land and other resources in Ramnad, Tuticorin, Ennore and Chennai with a view to improve aerial survey through aircraft.

        Even as there was growing demand for maritime security, Indian Navy has sustained its image of professionalism and 'fighting fitness' by conducting joint exercises and interactions with foreign navies from Japan, Russia, US, Philippines and Indonesia spread over a vast area, including Far East and Pacific Ocean. 'These joint exercises act as deterrent as they convey the fighting fitness of Indian Navy.'

        To a query on Chinese Navy monitoring Indian forces through an outpost in Cocoa Island near Myanmar, FOCINC said the Navy was interacting Myanmar in a number of ways. 'Our ships have landed in Cocoa Island too. There is nothing significant in that island that worry us,' he said.