Two days after Sri Lankan authorities ordered the release of 51 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, the Lankan navy has arrested 10 fishermen — four from Rameswaram and six from Jagadapattinam — with their two trawlers at two locations for poaching in the Lankan waters.
The Rameswaram fishermen, who had set out for fishing on Saturday, were fishing on the high seas off Katchatheevu when the Lankan navy from Talaimannar arrested them on Saturday night along with their trawler, reports received here said.
In another incident, the Lankan navy from Karainagar arrested six Jagadapattinam fishermen, who were poaching in Lankan waters, north off Delft island, also on Saturday night, the reports said. The navy seized their fishing trawler and two ‘unauthorised’ fishing nets.
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U. Arulanandham, president of the Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen (ARIF), said the Rameswaram fishermen were produced before the Mannar court and remanded in judicial custody at Vavuniya prison till January 20. The Jagadapattinam fishermen were produced before the Kayts court and remanded in judicial custody in Jaffna prison till January 19, he said.
The 51 fishermen who were released from Lankan prisons after months of incarceration had been handed over to the Consulate General of India in Jaffna and were expected to be repatriated on Tuesday, he said. The fishermen were likely to be taken to Karaikal, he said.