RAMANATHAPURAM
A day after Sri Lanka ordered release of 76 jailed Indian fishermen, the navy of the island nation arrested four fishermen on a charge of fishing in Lankan waters, and rescued four others, who were about to drown after their trawler sank.
When fishermen from Mandapam and Rameswaram, who had set out for fishing on Wednesday were fishing in the northern sea, the Lankan navy personnel arrested four of them and confiscated their trawler in the early hours of Thursday.
The arrested fishermen were produced before the magistrate court in Kayts and remanded in judicial custody in Jaffna prison till September 14, U. Arulanandham, president of Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen (ARIF), said.
In another incident, the Lankan navy rescued four fishermen from Rameswaram, who were about to drown in the northern sea in the early hours of Thursday, reports received here said.
The navy personnel were on a routine patrol when they spotted a trawler sinking and four fishermen struggling for life 8.5 nautical miles west of Analaitivu , the reports said.
After rescuing them, the navy personnel took the fishermen to Kankesanthurai naval base and provided medical assistance, food and water. The authorities were holding talks with the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka to repatriate the rescued fishermen, the reports said.
Though the Lankan navy claimed that the fishermen fell into the sea after their trawler capsized, apparently due to a technical snag, some reports suggested that they were thrown into the sea and their boat started sinking after the navy personnel rammed their vessel. Naval divers were engaged in salvaging the ‘sinking’ trawler, the reports said.
Meanwhile, the 76 fishermen, who were arrested by the Lankan navy during the past couple of months and released on Thursday, coinciding with the visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, were handed over to Indian High Commission officials in Jaffna, Mr Arulanandham said.
Four fishermen, who were arrested on August 14, however, were not released, he said.
(EOM)
