Sirisena orders release of 86 Indian fishermen

Updated - April 02, 2016 10:10 am IST - COLOMBO

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday ordered the release of 86 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody as a goodwill gesture ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island.

A statement from the office of President Sirisena – who is currently in London on a four-day official visit – pointed to a likely reciprocal gesture from India.

The Sri Lankan Navy on February 26 arrested the Indian fishermen off Mullativu on charges of poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters. Ten trawlers in their possession were seized and remain in Sri Lankan custody.

The issue of Indian trawlers allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters figured in the talks between President Sirisena and PM Modi in New Delhi, when the Sri Lankan President visited India last month. Mr. Modi had then emphasised the need for resuming talks between fishermen of both countries. The talks are likely to be held in Chennai soon after Mr. Modi’s two-day visit to Sri Lanka on Friday and Saturday, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

Meanwhile, fisher leaders in Sri Lanka’s war-torn Northern Province – whose livelihoods have been badly hit by trawlers poaching in their waters – have sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to present their concerns. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) – the main party representing the island’s northern Tamils – conveyed this to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj who was in Colombo last week.

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.