Centre should take tough stand on Lankan Navy attacks: Vaiko

Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu), Aug 13 (ANI): Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko on Friday said the Central Government should take a firm stand on reports of shooting of Indian fishermen off the coast of Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Referring to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's remarks that attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has dropped, and that they target only those fishermen, who strayed outside Indian territorial waters, Vaiko said: "The Centre should have taken a tough stand and condemned the incidents. Expressing this kind of opinion will only encourage Sri Lankan Navy into such attacks."

"The Tamil Nadu Government was invoking the National Securities Act against those highlighting problems of fishermen from the State," he added, while talking to the media persons here.

To strengthen the coastal security apparatus, India had set up a high- level committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K. M. Chandrasekhar as a part of measures taken by the government following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

India has already boosted coastal security with the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard carrying out coordination patrols.

The Mumbai attackers are said to have come to the city by sea from the Pakistani port of Karachi, according to security officials. (ANI)