A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced that Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan jails would be released starting Monday, raising hopes for their return home in time for Pongal, Sri Lanka has said the 275 Indian fishermen in its custody will be released only after India released all its fishermen, including 34 in Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to The Hindu on Sunday, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne said: “Our Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris is talking to India regarding the release of our fishermen in Andhra Pradesh. Once all our fishermen – 179 in Tamil Nadu and 34 in Andhra Pradesh are released, we will release all the 275 Indian fishermen immediately.”
Prof. Peiris, according to Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry officials, is scheduled to visit India later this month. He is scheduled to meet New Delhi-based Ambassadors with accreditation to Sri Lanka. During the visit, he will meet with the top leadership in India, officials said.
The fisheries conflict has in recent months figured high on the agenda of India – Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
Citing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s statement that the Indian fishermen, who are mostly from Tamil Nadu, would be released from January 13 — also the beginning of Pongal festivities — Mr. Senaratne said. “But we asked them to release our fishermen even before Christmas and there was no response”.
Mr. Senaratne will be in New Delhi later this week, for a meeting with Union Minister Sharad Pawar, whose portfolio includes fisheries. The meeting will be held on January 15.
Following this Ministerial-level meeting, the much-anticipated talks between fishermen of both countries will be held in New Delhi at which it is hoped the two sides will be able to arrive at an amicable solution on sharing the resources of the Palk Bay.
With several rounds of talks held earlier proving futile, fishermen — especially the Tamil-speaking fishermen in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province — said they hoped some progress is made this time. Nearly 600 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of engaging in illegal fishing activity in 2013.
