Navy on guard to check poaching

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

Sri Lanka's Navy Commander Vice Admiral Tisara Samarasinghe appreciating the support from the Indian Naval authorities to control the Indian fishermen intruding Lankan waters said that excessive fishing in the Palk Strait still a problem to Sri Lanka and needed ways and means to curb it.

Addressing the media he said that SLN's one main concern was the continued fishing by the Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters.

"Indian fisherfolks are not only harvesting fish excessively but also cross the maritime boundaries in numbers and the type of trawling cannot be approved", he said.

Referring to the Indo-Lanka Naval relationships as `brilliant', he said that the SLN would continue to strengthen the communication. " As navel officers we all were Indian trained and we are very close to each other. They have interactions with their Indian naval friends in every six months", he said.

Vice Admiral Samarasinghe said though there was no external threat, the SLN would be strengthened further with manpower, sophisticated naval vessels and equipment to keep its guard.

He said that the SLN would bring in six latest types of Fast Attack craft from Israel in January and with small boats now operations would patrol the seas.

He said that with the gradual normality the night fishing and the use of mechanized boats for fishing, in the North, which were restricted earlier, are now allowed.