India officially gifts coast guard ship to SL Navy

India has formally gifted the Indian coast guard vessel the ‘Varaha’ to the Sri Lanka Navy at a ceremony held at the port of Colombo, according to naval customs and traditions.

The Varaha has been in the service of the Sri Lanka Navy as Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Sagara since 2006.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Y.K. Sinha, handed over the ship on behalf of the Indian Government and the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, B.M.U.D. Basnayake accepted the ship on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government.

Addressing the occasion, Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne said that the historical relationship between India and Sri Lanka dates back thousands of years.

The High Commissioner unveiled the plaque to commemorate the occasion, symbolising the strength of the bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka. SLNS Sagara is an offshore patrol vessel made by India in 1992. The ship, which is 75 metres in length and 11 metres in width, was provided by the Indian Government on a free dry lease agreement to the Sri Lanka Navy in 2006 in appreciation of the Sri Lankan Navy’s efforts to maintain maritime security in the region. SLNS Sagara served the Sri Lanka Navy in many successful operations conducted during the conflict period. It has contributed immensely to surveillance activities since 2009.

The Chief of Defence Staff, service commanders, senior officers of the Sri Lanka Navy and representatives of the Indian High Commission were also present at the event.

Vaiko, Ramadoss oppose India gifting away ship to Sri Lanka

PTI: CHENNAI: Opposing the gifting away of an Indian Coast Guard ship to Sri Lanka, MDMK chief Vaiko said it was a “betrayal” of Eelam Tamils and Tamil Nadu fishermen. 

Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Varaha’ was gifted to Sri Lanka on 27 August in Colombo. The ship was in the service of the island nation since 2006 and it was rechristened ‘Sagara’ by Sri Lanka. 

Referring to the hand over, Vaiko said “this is an unforgivable betrayal of Eelam Tamils and Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Indian Government”. 

Alleging that the ship was “used for killing Tamils in Sri Lanka”, he claimed “the vessel is an evidence of the use of Indian Navy to finish off the Sea Tigers by Sri Lankan Naval forces.”  Accusing the UPA-I and its constituent parties from Tamil Nadu the DMK and PMK of being responsible for the large scale killings of Tamils during the 2009 war, he accused the Indian Government of continuing to work against the interests of Tamils. Toeing Vaiko’s line in his accusation, he said “Sri Lanka used this ship to kill Eelam Tamils (during the 2009 war).”  “Sri Lanka is never going to be of help in India’s defence,” he said here in a press release and wanted the Centre to take back all three ships gifted so far to Sri Lanka including ‘Varaha’.