According to The Hindu, the Indian Navy has been tracking and monitoring Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, said on Wednesday at a press conference.

On fishermen coming into conflict with Sri Lanka, he said, “Indian fishermen have been crossing maritime boundary, going and fishing in Sri Lankan waters. A dialogue is going on and there was a meeting between fishing associations of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.”

Admiral Lanba said the Tu-142M had “extensively flown in the airspace around Sri Lanka when the island nation was fighting the LTTE”.

He recollected the crucial role played by the squadron in Operation Cactus in the Maldives, when fleeing mercenaries were detected and tracked till they were apprehended by Indian warships.

On coastal security, he said that after the November 26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Navy was made overall in-charge of maritime security.

“We have worked together with the Coast Guard and also coastal State governments and a whole lot of other agencies, such as the marine police and the Department of Fisheries, to ensure that our coasts are safe,” he said.