India wants warships it lent to Sri Lanka back

[Lankan Ranger]

India wants warships it lent to Sri Lanka back

The Indian Coast Guard is uncertain about getting back two warships that it leased out to the Sri Lankan Navy in 2007 on an annually renewable contract.

The two vessels, Coast Guard Ship (CGS) Varaha and CGS Vigraha, equipped with helicopters and rapid-fire machine guns, were leased out when Colombo was preparing for the offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

But now the Sri Lankan Navy appears to be clueless about the Coast Guard’s demand for returning the warships and renamed the Varaha as Sagara and the Vigraha as Sayurala.

The government might find it hard to put diplomatic niceties aside to accommodate the Coast Guard. It also does not want to lose more ground to China and Pakistan, which have been catering to Sri Lanka’s military needs.

A senior defence ministry official, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed, “They (The Coast Guard) feel the Sri Lankan Navy doesn’t need the vessels, with the LTTE dead and gone.”

The source said the government was likely to provide new replacements to the Coast Guard for the ships given to Sri Lanka.

While the government has sanctioned 55 more warships and 45 aircraft for the Coast Guard after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, it is no secret that these assets cannot be inducted overnight.

“Orders have been placed with various shipyards, but deliveries will take at least two years to complete. In that sense, we are still grappling with a shortage of assets,” said a Coast Guard source.

The Coast Guard is responsible for securing territorial waters extending to 12 miles off the Indian shores. It does so under the supervision of the Indian Navy.
From:ASIAN DEFENCE: India wants warships it lent to Sri Lanka back

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Sri Lanka will hand over Two Indian warships on time to India, Sri Lanka expeted to lease Two Pakistani warships in 2010, A Pakistan Military Team already in Sri Lanka for Talks.

 

[navtrek]

Congratulations for the two new warships from Pakistan

 

[Spring Onion]

Sri Lanka will hand over Two Indian warships on time to India, Sri Lanka expeted to lease Two Pakistani warships in 2010, A Pakistan Military Team already in Sri Lanka for Talks.

Yep the Pakistani air cheif is also currently on visit to Sri Lanka.

He also visited some bases there

Pakistan should extend all out defence help to Sri Lanka.

 

[Linkin park]

Asking for ships: India denies​

The Indian Defence Ministry denied reports yesterday that the Indian Government had asked the Sri Lanka Navy to return two Coast Guard vessels given by the Indian Government on an annual, renewable lease.

“The Indian Government has not asked for these boats to be returned,” Ministry of Defence, New Delhi Public Relations Officer, D. Mohanty said.

The Sri Lanka Navy echoed this comment. “Reports that these vessels should be returned are not so, there has been no such request,” Navy Spokesperson Capt. Athula Senarath told the Daily Mirror.

A New Delhi based Newspaper fuelled a rumour by reporting the Indian Coast Guard had made a case for the return of the two vessels, on the grounds that the LTTE was now ‘dead and gone’.

“The Sagara was taken for a major refitting but it has not been returned in that sense,” Capt. Senarath said.

The vessels named Vigraha and Varaha were renamed SLNS Sayurala and Sagara respectively.

 

[arihant]

Should clear the doubts.

Anyway, you are still getting 2 more from pak. + you have allready two indian.