Only God has saved Goa from terror strike: Dy. CM

Panaji, Aug 5 (IANS) Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza on Friday said the coastal state, an important tourism destination, was lucky to be saved from terror strikes only because of divine blessings of the gods.

He also said that both Islamic and non-Islamic countries were affected by terrorism, a scourge that had spared neither the US, France or India.

"So terrorism is not about a particular area, it happens in the US, it happens in France and it happens in India... Goans are very lucky people. We have been saved by our gods. We say its God's country. Gods are saving us. That much protection we have," D'Souza said, even as the state legislative assembly, earlier in the day, discussed ways and means to make Goa prepared to counter a potential terror strike.

"Terrorism is in Islamic countries also, see what is happening in Pakistan. It is an Islamic country. What is Iraq, Islamic country, what is Indonesia, it is an Islamic country. It's happening there also. It is happening in Islamic and non Islamic countries also," D'Souza told reporters on the sidelines of an official function in Panaji.

"It sounds very simple, but there is no foolproof system which can stop terrorism... The Americans have failed, the French have failed, India has failed, everybody has failed because it is a type of an activity which cannot be controlled. We have a huge coastline, 105 km. It is very, very easy to enter that coastline. We have a very porous border. Anybody can come in, anybody can go. So how do you protect yourself," D'Souza also said.

Goa is one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and attracts over four million tourists, of which half a million are foreigners, mostly from Europe.