Are the islands of Andaman and Nicobar potential terror hubs?
Yes, feels the administration of the Union Territory, which has said the possibility of left out LTTE cadre trying to make them a safe haven cannot be ruled out.
The administration has also conveyed to the government that foreigners from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka often intrude into the archipelago.
The Home Ministry has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that according to the Union Territory Administration, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have settlers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and possibility of these settlers being used “by elements from their erstwhile countries” cannot be ruled out.
“The UT government is of the view that left out LTTE cadre may look for safe havens in the near vicinity and may take advantage of our uninhabited islands for their temporary hideouts,” the Home Ministry told the panel.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are situated in the Bay of Bengal at a distance of 1200 km from the mainland. These islands are spread over an area of 8249 sq km. This group comprises 572 islands of which only 38 are inhabited.
The island authority has conveyed that the local Tamil population in the islands, like other parts of the country, is also sympathetic to the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Further, sympathy of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who were brought and settled in these islands during 1960s and 1970s may be easily gained for abetting, aiding and assisting the LTTE outfit in providing temporary shelters under the thick forest covers in the islands.
–PTI