Abandoned plastic boat found off Rameswaram coast:

Tigers on the prowl?

INDIA: In the second such incident this week, an abandoned plastic boat was found in the sea off Naduthurai near Rameswaram, keeping intelligence officials on their tenterhooks.

A boat with bullet marks was seized at Kambipadu near Dhanushkodi on November 19. The spotting of the abandoned boats is raising concern, an IB official said adding if the LTTE had come by the boats they would have gone into the vast stretches of casurina jungle between Pamban and Dhanushkodi.

“It is quite possible they (the LTTE) would have taken the jungle route, as they are the only persons thorough with the casurina jungle,” the official said.

Diesel and chemical cans and boat engines etc were found from the jungles some months ago. The official also criticised the Government’s move to close the Naval camp at Arichalmunai and said the Navy men at the camp used to keep a 24 hour watch on the coast. A CRPF check post at the Dhanushkodi had also been closed.

There was only one policeman monitoring the coast in the region, the official said. Meanwhile, the coastguard had deployed one more ship to patrol the south sea. Besides, the Navy had established a new Forward Observation Post (FOP) at Seeniappa Dharga near Mandapam.

The post, which would have marine commandos and craft, was in addition to a FOP at Mukundarayar Chattiram. But Coastal security officials want the FOP to be shifted to Arichalmunai, as the present one had proved to be ineffective with the sighting of the two abandoned boats. - Agencies