Navy chief denies Indian military role in Sri Lanka

August 28th, 2009 VISAKHAPATNAM - Vice Admiral, Nirmal Verma who is to take over as the Chief of Indian Navy on August 31 has applauded the performance of ships deployed on the high seas.e said this at a ceremonial parade held at Visakhapatnam to mark the handing over the command of the Eastern Naval Command to his successor, Vice Admiral Anup Singh. Vice Admiral Verma said that support agencies have played a pivotal role in operational fitness of the various ships deployed on the high seas of Indian territorial waters as well as abroad.

August 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has sought training in counter-insurgency operations from Sri Lanka following the island nation's decisive victory against the Tamil Tiger rebels, says a top commander. Apart from Pakistan, several other countries had also sought information about the strategy and tactics adopted by the Sri Lankan armed forces to decimate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in just three years of intense fighting, Dawn Friday quoted Sri Lankan Army chief Lt.

May 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Building on an Indian Navy initiative, its Sri Lankan counterpart is hosting a two-day seminar being participated in by 34 nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) on promoting interoperability between their navies. The pre-scheduled seminar that opened Thursday comes days after the Sri Lankan military won a decisive victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels and will focus on Practical Cooperative Mechanisms for Technical Support as part of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) maritime security initiative of the Indian Navy.

May 19th, 2009 VISAKHAPATNAM - After keeping in mind the safety and protection of civilians in Sri Lanka, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Tuesday said that the Navy was ready to help in resolving the situation as a humanitarian issue. Mehta further said that the civilians who are fleeing from the battle zone would be escorted and moved out to a safe area by the Indian Navy.

May 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian government has sought details from Sri Lanka about the military action in which LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed, the ruling Congress party said Monday. 'It is a very sensitive issue.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran said Saturday that the victory of his party in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu showed that the Sri Lankan issue had failed to sway voters in the state. As the DMK proved pollsters wrong with a strong performance in a majority of Tamil Nadu's 39 Lok Sabha seats, Maran told NDTV TV: 'People (of Tamil Nadu) have given a clear mandate.' Asked if the emotive issue of Sri Lanka's military offensive against the Tamil Tigers had played a role in balloting, as many had expected, he said: 'That has not played a role.' AIADMK leader J.

May 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, who is best remembered for staging the daring raid on Karachi during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, died here late Monday night after a prolonged illness. He was 94. Nanda is survived by his wife and two sons.

May 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta Tuesday condoled the death of former navy chief Admiral S.M. Nanda, a veteran of the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

May 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Monday took stock of the coastal security to prevent the Tamil Tigers from infiltrating into the country amid the war in Sri Lanka. Defence Minister A.K.

April 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Army and the Indian Navy have been placed on high alert along the country's southern coast to prevent any infiltration bid by Tamil tiger cadres fleeing the military offensive against them in Sri Lanka, a top commander said Wednesday. 'There is a high alert in the southern command,' Indian Army vice chief Lt.

April 29th, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lanka Navy Wednesday said they had killed at least 25 Tamil Tigers and destroyed six of their boats in a pre-dawn attack. Navy spokesman Capt D.K.P.

April 20th, 2009 CHENNAI - MDMK leader Vaiko Monday said the Indian government was also to blame for the killings of Tamils in Sri Lanka, and described Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi as 'the number one traitor to the Tamil race'.

April 17th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Friday said India should sever all ties with Sri Lanka if the island nation does not announce a ceasefire immediately.

April 2nd, 2009 COLOMBO - At least 23 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy off Thalaimannar island when they were illegally fishing in the nation's territorial waters, an official said Thursday. Acting Navy Spokesman Commander Mahesh Karunaratne said naval crafts on routine patrol arrested the group of 23 Indian fishermen along with six boats for illegally intruding into Sri Lanka's international maritime borders.

February 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta is on a four-day visit of the Maldives for talks on maritime security with the leaders of the island nation, an official said. Mehta's visit to the Maldives, with which India shares long-standing ties, began Feb 21.