Sept 03, Mullikulam: Sri Lankan military plans to establish military bases in strategically significant places to strengthen the national security further, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said Thursday.

Addressing the ceremony to declare open a the new North-Western Naval Command Headquarters in Mullikulum yesterday, the Defence Secretary said it is the responsibility of relevant authorities to take necessary measures to thwart any attempts to reintroduce terrorism in the country.

The Defence Secretary said the Tamil Tigers smuggled stockpile of arms and ammunition into the country using the sea route and therefore, it is important to maintain a proper marine surveillance around the country. The country's Navy has to bear the immense responsibility in protecting the shores, he said.

The North-western Naval Headquarters has been strategically shifted from Puttalam to Mullikulam to enable the Navy to more effectively safeguard the waters and land by conducting prompt and sustainable naval operations at sea, lagoons and on land in accordance with national policies, the Navy said.

The new command center is tasked with preventing the use of sea and land routes in the general area by unauthorized persons, protecting the coast line and fisheries, and controlling illegal fishing activities.

It is also responsible for prevention of illicit migration, smuggling, drug trafficking, poaching, deforestation, and sand mining, the Navy highlighted.

Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, and Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonethileke also participated in the occasion.