The Sri Lankan navy on Saturday arrested 11 Rameswaram fishermen on charges of poaching and seized their two boats.
They were fishing on the high seas when the navy from Kankesanthurai arrested them, reports received here said.
The fishermen were taken to the Kankesanthurai harbour and 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 Sri Lankan navy continued its offensive even after the its ministers assured the Indian delegates at the recent ministerial-level talks in Delhi that its navy would not attack the Indian fishermen.