Port Blair, Jan 17: Mr. R Mohan had written letters to Lt Governor, ANI, Chief Secretary,A & N Administration and Smti Sushma Swaraj, MP etc on the issue of missing of MV Vasanta on the way to Hutbay to which Smti Sushma Swaraj, MP and leader of opposition had requested the Minister of Home Affairs to get the trace of the ill-fated vessel.
The reply of Mr. SM Krishna, Minister of External Affairs to Mr. Jullapally Ramachandran, Minister of State for Home Affairs has said that according to Indian Embassy in Myanmar the case of the missing vessel MV Vasanta had been taken up with the Govt of Myanmar on 15. 09. 99 and a reply had been received on 24.09.99 from the Myanmar Govt stating that the said vessel had not reached Myanmar territorial water.
Subsequently, the case had been again taken up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ,Govt of Myanmar on three occasions during the year 2000 and a similar negative reply had been received on 10.05.2000.
As the CBI had investigated the case, the Ministry had advised the Mission to request the Myanmar Govt to re-investigate the case. The Myanmar Govt was again approached , which replied on 14.07.2003 that the case had been re-investigated and according to the records no personnel of the said vessel had been detained in Myanmar.
The matter had been again taken up with the Myanmar Govt on 20.04.2005 and 28.07. 2005, for taking up the case again, following directions from the Honble High Court of Kolkata. The Myanmar Govt was reminded on 6.10.2005 to which they responded on 14.10.2005 reiterating their earlier stand that there was no record on confiscation of the said vessel or detention of the crew.
The matter was again taken up with the Myanmar Government on 07.08.09 with a reminder on 24.11.09. The Government of Myanmar replied on 08.12.09 that the said vessel had not got drifted in to Myanmar territorial water. This was intimated to the CBI on 11.12.09.
“The response of the Govt of Myanmar has repeatedly been the same. Therefore, in the absence of any new fact that could be presented to them, it appears unlikely that their response would be different,” the Minister’s letter said.
On receipt of this letter duly forwarded by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr Mullappally Ramachandran, Mr. R Mohan, the State President, BJP has again wrote back to the Minister of State for Home affairs expressing his utmost surprise as to how a vessel can be vanished on the way to Hutbay and requested to do all possible searches and give financial help to the family members of the said ill-fated vessel.
