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A Sri Lankan piper boat was found washed ashore on Munaikkadu beach near Mandapam in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district, raising major security concerns, officials said on Tuesday.
The police have started an investigation into the matter. According to the officials, fishermen in the area informed the police that two men escaped from the Sri Lankan piper boat before "The police are actively investigating whether the people who came in the boat were anti-social, terrorists, smugglers or Sri Lankan refugees," the officials added. Community activists have expressed concern over the incident while pointing to security deficiencies and doubts. As per the officials, a 'Sagar Kavach' coastal exercise program of the security agencies is underway to prevent terrorist infiltration and smuggling operations in the coastal areas of Ramanathapuram district. In October 2022, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) apprehended a fishing boat with five Sri Lankans off the Kanniyakumari coast in Tamil Nadu. In a sea-air coordinated operation, the ICG ship Shaurya apprehended a Sri Lankan fishing boat 74 nautical miles south of Kanyakumari. The ICG handed over the boat with five crew to the Coastal Security Group of Tuticorin for further investigation. (ANI)
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