Stepping up the offensive after injuring two fishermen from Nagapattinam and Karaikal in an alleged firing, the Sri Lankan navy has arrested 11 Rameswaram fishermen along with their two boats on charges of poaching in Lankan waters late on Thursday evening.
The fishermen, who had not ventured into the sea for fishing for a week after the Centre announced the demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes, set out for fishing on Saturday morning and were fishing on the high seas, south of Delft island, when the navy from Kankesanthurai arrested them, reports received here said.
The arrested fishermen were taken to the Kankesanthurai harbour and were being handed over to the Department of fisheries, Jaffna, for further action, U. Arulanandham, president of the Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen (ARIF) said. They are likely to be produced before the court in Kayts on Sunday, he said. Fishermen leaders expressed shock as the Lankan navy continued its offensive even after the Lankan ministers assured the Indian delegates at the recent Ministerial-level talks held in Delhi that its navy would not attack Indian fishermen.
The Lankan navy has arrested the fishermen and confiscated two boats at a time, when the Tamil Nadu fishermen were crying hoarse for the release of 115 boats held in Lankan ports for more than a year. On Saturday, more than 3,500 fishermen ventured into sea from the jetty here in 631 mechanised boats for fishing, sources here said.
