- Title: INDIA: Indian fishermen had fears of attacks after boat seizures
- Date: 2nd December 2008
- Summary: (AS) PORBANDAR, GUJARAT, INDIA (DECEMBER 2, 2008) (ANI) COASTGUARD VESSEL ON PATROL VARIOUS FISHING BOATS IN HARBOUR COAST GUARD HELICOPTER FISHING BOAT AT SEA BOATS IN HARBOUR VARIOUS FISHERMEN UNLOADING THEIR CATCH BOATS DOCKED IN HARBOUR (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) JEEVAN JUNGI, DEPUTY CHIEF, GUJARAT BOAT ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "The incident which took place, the name of a Porbandar boat figured. We had repeatedly written to the PM (prime minister) and Sonia Gandhi that the 383 boats captured by Pakistan, could be misused. And whatever has happened is a question of our national security and is a matter of grave concern. Many of our brave soldiers and innocent people lost their lives in the incident." BOATS AT DOCK (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) JEEVAN JUNGI, DEPUTY CHIEF, GUJARAT BOAT ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "We are now faced with a big question as to where do we now go for fishing. We are sad at the incident. The incident has cast a shadow over our community. We appeal to the Indian government to support the coast guard and the Indian navy as much as possible. We will continue to support them but the government should also provide them with more powers." COAST GUARD VESSEL PATROLLING THE SEA
- Embargoed: 17th December 2008 10:08
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVAAANNB0F9CZMUX89CZGFS8ACM4
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Gujarat fishermen say they warned the Indian government of dangers after many of their boats were seized off the coast of Pakistan.
Fishermen in Gujarat had passed on information about militants using sea routes to land explosives in Mumbai with help from the city's underworld, a fishing fleet leader claims.
But the warnings had gone unheeded, said Damodar Tandel, president of Maharashtra fishermen's committee, who says the information came to him from fishermen in neighbouring Gujarat.
And days before militants struck Mumbai, Indian authorities were warned of an imminent attack by Islamist gunmen who would arrive by sea, according to a senior coast guard source.
Indian authorities say the militants who attacked Mumbai, killing more than 180 people, belonged to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (L-e-T) group, also blamed for an attack on India's parliament in 2001.
The militants appeared to have dodged the coast guard by hijacking an Indian fishing trawler, officials said.
The trawler Kuber was later found abandoned in the Arabian Sea close to the Mumbai coast.
At the fishing port of Porbandar in Gujarat state, about 200 km from the Pakistan border, the Mumbai attacks did not come as a surprise to fishermen, who are sometimes seen as the eyes and ears of the India coast guard.
Jeevan Jungi, deputy chief of the Gujarat Boat Association, said on Tuesday (December 2): "We had repeatedly written to the PM (prime minister) that the 383 boats captured by Pakistan could be misused. And whatever has happened is a question of our national security and is a matter of grave concern."
He called for an increase in coast guard and Navy activity at sea, adding:
"The incident has cast a shadow over our community. We appeal to the Indian government to support the coast guard and the Indian navy as much as possible. We will continue to support them but the government should also provide them with more powers."
They are believed to have entered Mumbai from Pakistan via the sea route, sailing from Porbandar to Mumbai in 'Kuber' an Indian fishing trailer that was later found abandoned in the Arabian Sea close to the Mumbai coast.
For many months, India's defence minister has been talking about the need for increasing coastal security, but after the Mumbai attacks the pressure is on the government to seal the coastline. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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