Abbott must be firm on defence I WAS standing on a promontory on Sri Lanka's south coast last week with the local navy commander. We were watching a vast fleet of fishing boats move out to set their nets. Suddenly the commander's attention was piqued. One small boat had too many people on it. This is typically a sign of people-smuggling: a small boat, loaded up, that can leave from any beach, speeds out to a bigger boat farther offshore.