today i visited the coast guard station in mandapam. there is a very friendly commaniding officer. his name is janardhanan. he says that he is not concerned with LTTE orrefugees. any one found in the sea without a valid reason which means fishing only. they are checked bodily and handed over to the local police.

if they see any suspicious activity or behaviour. again they dont take any action. they inform the police. there is a coast guard vessel in the palk strait and Gulf of Mannar at all times. 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

the LTTE nor the Sri Lankan navy can take on the might of the Indian Navy so we have to understand the problem of the Sri Lankan Navy he says. they have banned fishing in this area. so when they see any boat they ask them to stop. if they dont and try to flee they have no choice but to fire. as the LTTE is active in this are anyone running away will be supsected to be LTTE cadre or sympathisers or helpers.

Indian fishermen have a very good rapport with the LTTE. They sell diesel to the LTTE and also pay toll to them to fish in their area. the toll is also in the form olf diesel.

Fring on Idian fishermen will stop only if our fishermen can inform us immediately. we can retaliate very fast and very hard. The Tamil Nadu Government has promised to provide phones and GPS facility to all our fishermen in this area. this will help a lot in case of firing and also in case they have any mechanical failure in the boat or bad weather.

The sooner this is done the better it is for the fishermen. They are going to get Id cards too but they must carry them on their person at all times when they are at sea. this will keep them safe from our navy and the Sri Lankan Navy if they are apprehended by either.