Collective efforts to combat terrorism in the offing
[Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 7.15 GMT]   

The forthcoming SAARC Summit is likely to focus on collective efforts to combat terrorism in the region. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogolagama in his recent visit to New Delhi called for collective efforts to successfully combat   terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
  
The significance of collective efforts becomes more pronounced in the wake of heightened LTTE terrorist activities in the Indian Ocean in the Palk Bay, the Gulf of Mannar and the Tamil Nadu coastline. On March 18, the Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony told the media  "Maritime Terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy were major threats".
  
The Indian authorities have upped coastal and naval surveillance following the apprehension of a LTTE boat containing a large quantity of explosives by the Tamil Nadu Coast Guard on February 13.
  
The Indian Coast Guard and the Tamil Nadu Police have started joint patrolling in the Palk Bay from March 19.
  

The Tamil Nadu police have also intensified foot patrolling in the coastal villages of Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari districts  where recent LTTE activity in Tamil Nadu had been observed.
  
As part of a long-term strategy, the issue of short-listing landing points on the shore in Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts is also under consideration by the Indian authorities.
  
Sri Lanka has already proposed that India and Sri Lanka conduct Joint Patrols to thwart terrorism and piracy in these waters, particularly with regard to LTTE activity.  Meanwhile, the Indian Defence Minister is on record as having stated that the task of protecting and furthering India's interests was not that of the Indian Navy alone.




  
 

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Last Updated Date: March 21, 2007 - 7.15 GMT