"It is vital to protect our seas and our coastline to prevent arms smuggling and infiltration by terrorists trained overseas."
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, secretary to the defence ministry, said the navy has to ensure protection of the coast to prevent arms smuggling and infiltration from overseas.
Tamil Tiger supporters overseas and remnants in Sri Lanka are trying to continue their struggle despite being militarily defeated, he said in an address to naval troops at their main base in Trincomalee Friday.
"In future we must not allow them to raise their heads again," Rajapaksa said. "We must protect the gains of our victory over terrorism."
"Terrorists need to smuggle arms from abroad and train fighters overseas and infiltrate them into the island."
Government forces ended the 30-year ethnic war in May by destroying Tiger forces and wiping our its top leadership.
The end of the war i