In the wake of escalation of hostilities between Sri Lankan security forces and the LTTE, the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and intelligence agencies have stepped up vigil along the Tamil Nadu coast as well as the 21 islands in the Palk straits.
Security agencies have strengthened monitoring of the 21 small and uninhabited islands located between the Tamil Nadu coast and Sri Lanka as they have become a base for smugglers, militants as well as boat operators ferrying Tamil refugees, a senior intelligence officer here said on the condition of anonymity.
A round-the-clock monitoring of the islands has been ordered after a complete survey, he said. Surveillance would be further tightened in the identified islands when Indian fishermen resume fishing after the 45-day fishing ban ends later this month. The annual ban has been imposed by the state government to promote breeding of different species of fish in the Palk Straits.
Fishing activity in the area has already been restricted as the Sri Lankan Navy has declared certain sections as "no fishing zones" following escalation of fighting with the LTTE. Following this, the Indian Coast Guard has been persuading the Indian fishermen not to cross into Sri Lankan waters to avoid arrests and firing from the island`sNavy.