The Central government has issued a stern warning to Kerala and Tamil Nadu against the repeated maritime trespass by fishing vessels from the two States into the waters off the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
A meeting convened by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi last week cautioned officials from the two States and asked them to ensure that fishers stayed away from the strategically important island which houses a U.S. naval base. “We have been informed that repeated incidents of trespass would affect bilateral relations between the two countries,” Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma said.
The State government has been directed to convene a meeting with fishermen organisations and representatives from the MEA and the British High Commission. Interacting with 18 fishermen from Kerala and Tamil Nadu who arrived here on Monday after being released by the British Navy from 29 days of detention at Diego Garcia, the Minister said the State and Central governments had to use all the resources at their command to ensure that the fishers walked free. “I met Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and got the British Embassy to intervene,” she said.
Second time
Pointing out that it was the second time that fishing boats from south India were being detained for crossing into the British maritime zone, the Minister urged the fishers not to stray off course.
“When all fishing vessels are equipped with GPS location equipment, there is no reason for them to stray into alien waters while going after fish,” she said.
Fishermen, however, point out that they were forced to travel longer in search of fish because of heavy stock depletion in Indian waters. The fishers who were released from Diego Garcia said they were treated well by their captors.
“They let us go after the penalty was remitted, but our fishing gear worth Rs.25 lakh was confiscated,” said Antony hailing from Vallavila on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
Penalty
Jagan, who owns one of the boats, said the penalty had to be raised through a loan. The Minister said the government would take steps to compensate the fishers for the loss of fishing gear and the amount spent on paying the penalty.
