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Indian Navy To Set Up Air Station Near Rameshwaram
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The Indian Navy will set up a medium-size naval air station near here to heighten vigilance along country's maritime boundary against Tamil Tigers rebels and their supporters.
'At present, we are just operating in a small sector in the Palk Bay area. A naval air station will enable us to make our presence more felt and we can cover the entire Indian Ocean, Commodore P.E. Van Haltren, naval officer-in-charge, Tamil Nadu, said here Wednesday.
The air station will be set up at Uchipulli, about 40 km north of this temple town, on the way to Madurai.
The Indian Navy showed its firepower and combat readiness to a group of visiting journalists close to the Indian Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) during an exercise. The display of force would deter smuggling of arms, ammunition and human cargo across the Palk Straits, besides items like fuel for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Commodore van Haltren revealed that the approval of the proposed naval air station - where a small air facility already exists - is a mere formality.
The Navy is scheduled to press nine radars into service to provide logistics and advance warning support to all the seven detachments on Tamil Nadu's coast.
'These radars will help us monitor vessels at sea. Two warships of the navy and one from the coast guard are now patrolling the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, both of which divide India from Sri Lanka. Increased naval air surveillance will help us prevent nefarious activities in the sea,' Haltren said.
The Commodore was, however, non-committal on the issue of joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan Navy.
'It isn't that good an idea because it would mean a military engagement in Sri Lankan waters against the LTTE. As we do not want to repeat the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) experience, we do not want to be drawn into the conflict with the LTTE,' Haltren said.
Discounting possibilities of the island's naval force chasing Indian fishermen crossing the IMBL, Haltren indicated that some unfortunate incidents could have taken place within Sri Lankan waters near their high security zones.
http://www.india-defence.com/reports/3027
Printer Friendly Subscribe
The Indian Navy will set up a medium-size naval air station near here to heighten vigilance along country's maritime boundary against Tamil Tigers rebels and their supporters.
'At present, we are just operating in a small sector in the Palk Bay area. A naval air station will enable us to make our presence more felt and we can cover the entire Indian Ocean, Commodore P.E. Van Haltren, naval officer-in-charge, Tamil Nadu, said here Wednesday.
The air station will be set up at Uchipulli, about 40 km north of this temple town, on the way to Madurai.
The Indian Navy showed its firepower and combat readiness to a group of visiting journalists close to the Indian Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) during an exercise. The display of force would deter smuggling of arms, ammunition and human cargo across the Palk Straits, besides items like fuel for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Commodore van Haltren revealed that the approval of the proposed naval air station - where a small air facility already exists - is a mere formality.
The Navy is scheduled to press nine radars into service to provide logistics and advance warning support to all the seven detachments on Tamil Nadu's coast.
'These radars will help us monitor vessels at sea. Two warships of the navy and one from the coast guard are now patrolling the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, both of which divide India from Sri Lanka. Increased naval air surveillance will help us prevent nefarious activities in the sea,' Haltren said.
The Commodore was, however, non-committal on the issue of joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan Navy.
'It isn't that good an idea because it would mean a military engagement in Sri Lankan waters against the LTTE. As we do not want to repeat the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) experience, we do not want to be drawn into the conflict with the LTTE,' Haltren said.
Discounting possibilities of the island's naval force chasing Indian fishermen crossing the IMBL, Haltren indicated that some unfortunate incidents could have taken place within Sri Lankan waters near their high security zones.
http://www.india-defence.com/reports/3027
