NE NEWS SERVICE
COLOMBO/RAMESWARAM, DEC 19
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 55 Indian fishermen and seized eight trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Navy arrested the fishermen in seas Southeast of the Delft Island in Jaffna on Saturday.
“A special operation conducted by the Navy in seas Southeast of the Delft Island, Jaffna on the night of December 18, 2021, led to seizure of 6 Indian fishing trawlers poaching in Sri Lankan waters, with 43 Indian fishermen aboard,” the Navy said in a statement.
The arrests were made by the Fast Attack Craft of the 4th Fast Attack Craft Flotilla (4 FAF) attached to the Northern Naval Command, it said, adding that the operation was carried out while adhering to the Covid-19 protocols.
- Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone and requested him to take immediate steps to get the over 50 fishermen and their 8 boats released from Sri Lanka.
Arrangements are being made to hand them over to relevant authorities for legal action after conducting Rapid Antigen Tests of the apprehended Indian fishermen, it said.
Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone and requested him to take immediate steps to get the over 50 fishermen and their 8 boats released from Sri Lanka.
“The Union Minister assured immediate action,” an official release in Chennai said. Soon after the apprehension of 43 fishermen and seizure of 6 boats from Rameswaram, 12 other fishers of Mandapam area were also subsequently taken into custody. The 2 boats of Mandapam fishermen were also seized, the official said.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters. The fishermen issue has become a major irritant in bilateral ties.
