110 fishermen held by Sri Lankan Navy

December 11, 2013 03:28 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 07:34 pm IST - COLOMBO

The Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday arrested 110 Indian fishermen off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast for allegedly fishing illegally. It also confiscated 15 trawlers.

According to sources in fishermen’s associations in Tamil Nadu, the arrested fishermen were largely from Nagapattinam and Karaikkal.

“We found the trawlers trespassing along the eastern coast, to the north of Mullaitivu,” Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya told The Hindu.

The problem of Indian fishermen, particularly those from Tamil Nadu, allegedly poaching on Sri Lankan waters continues to persist, posing a challenge to the ties between the two countries. As many as 87 fishermen are already in Sri Lankan prison. Some of their trawlers are also in Sri Lankan custody as legal proceedings are on.

While both countries seem to recognise that the problem is rooted in livelihood concerns of fishermen on either side of the Palk Strait, Sri Lankan fishermen — particularly Tamil-speaking fishermen inhabiting the island’s war-torn Northern Province are at the receiving end.

New Delhi is awaiting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s response to holding a meeting of fishermen from both sides, after which it could host the Joint Working Group meeting, where officials and experts from both sides are expected to arrive at a mutually agreeable, feasible solution.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.