THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Piracy activities in the Indian Ocean were getting closer to Indian territory, Air Marshal Sumit Mukerji, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command (SAC), said on Thursday.Addressing a farewell press conference at the SAC, Mukerji retired on Thursday after a career spanning nearly four decades - he said that pirates were ‘reasonably close’ to the Lakshadweep Islands. “They are still in International waters. Now, the Indian Navy is engaged in anti-piracy measures. At the moment it is felt adequate,” he said.While pirates are believed to be upgrading their weaponry and mode of transportation, pre-empting a pirate attack is still a difficult proposition, he said. “For one, the Indian Ocean is so vast. Identifying a pirate ship is a problem. They are quite fearless and mix and merge with other ships. Only when an attack is attempted, we know,” he said.With the Indian Ocean region gaining in strategic importance, the SAC is adding more teeth to its Air Defence capabilities. Air Marshal Mukerji said that the Command would be getting new assets to ‘reach out into the Indian Ocean.’ The Tanjore and Sulur air bases will become fully operational soon. By 2016, Tanjore will have a Sukhoi-30 fighter squadron and Sulur, a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) squadron by 2012-2013, he said. “Tanjore is going to see a lot of activity. “The Su-30 fighters aside, it will also have an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) squadron and also a transport aircraft squadron in addition to a radar unit,” he said. The Su-30s can cover the Indian Ocean from the Malacca Straits to the Straits of Hormuz.“It will be like an umbrella over the Indian Ocean. We are also getting a lot of radars. Our radars are also integrated with that of the Navy and the Airport Authority of India,” Mukerji said. The IAF proposal to revive the World War II airfield at Kayathar in southern Tamil Nadu was being actively pursued by the Ministry of Defence, he said.The increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region was a matter of concern. (The Chinese were involved in the construction of the Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka and in the expansion of the Colombo Port). “It’s certainly disturbing. But I think everybody is aware of the concern,” Mukerji said.
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