Mangaluru: As Sri Lanka which shares maritime border with India is under economic and political crisis, our nation is facing the threat of illegal migrants and thus State’s coastline is being strictly monitored. In this backdrop, the Central Intelligence Agency has asked the coastal states of South India, including Karnataka, to be on high alert as Indian intelligence agencies have detected that Srilankan nationals are trying to illegally enter the region. According to gathered information, the migrants have already illegally entered Tamil Nadu, hence there is a tense situation of the migrants getting into Karnataka and Kerala coast.
Post the instructions of intelligence agencies, the Coast Guards and police officials have already held a meeting and are keeping a close watch on the places that the Srilankan migrants may likely infest. There are nine Coastal Security Stations namely Mangaluru, Hejamady, Malpe, Bhatkal, Gangolli, Kumta, Honnavar, Belekeri and Karwar. All of them have been put on alert, said CSP sources.
“We have been asked to hold a meeting of fishermen in our jurisdiction and inform if any fishermen on unknown boats are found in the sea,” the official said adding that the Marine Security Guard and Fishermen Committee have also been informed. Fishing boats from Kerala have been officially stopped from coming to Mangaluru and surveillance has been tightened along the coast, he added.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday May 12, Police Commisioner N. Shashi Kumar recollected that the police had held more than 50 Srilankans illegally entering and staying in Mangaluru last year for couple of months without local police having any clue until they were handed over to NIA, I have suggested Deputy Commissioner to take necessary action in this regard.
While there is ban on fishing along the Indian Coast during the rainy season, the Lankan fishermen are engaged in deep sea fishing during the rainy season and rush to the nearest Indian port in case of an emergency situation like a cyclone. Among those ports Mangaluru and Malpe are also included wherein there is a probability of security lapse says a police source. The second factor is that Srilankans arriving through Tamil Nadu with the help of human trafficking agents are likely to flee to countries like Canada and France via Mangaluru. The intelligence agencies have further warned that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist were still active in Sri Lanka and there was a danger of them coming to India taking advantage of such situations.
