President and Defence Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake issued necessary directives to the officials to take appropriate steps after due consideration of the justifiable concerns raised on obtaining the assistance of the Navy to prevent illegal fishing activities and matters related to the release of lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence met yesterday (17) in the Parliament under the Chairpersonship of President Dissanayake.

During the committee meeting, Parliamentarians drew attention to a range of issues relevant to the Ministry of Defence.