25 Indian fishermen arrested by Navy
FILE PHOTO –
Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday arrested 25 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in the country’s waters, officials said.
Naval spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said 25 fishermen have been arrested north of Jaffna’s Delft island during the wee hours of today. Their six trawlers were also seized.
The fishermen are to be handed over to the police at Kankesanturai harbour.
The arrests followed talks between Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Rajitha Senaratne in New Delhi last week on the thorny issue of fishermen.
Both countries decided free all fishermen in their custody and release their vessels after the talks.
The arrests come ahead of a meeting scheduled for January 27 between a committee appointed to work out a joint mechanism. – PTI
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This whole saga has become a never ending joke. The beneficiaries are the Indian fishermen who know they will be released any way with all their gear and trawlers, when Big Mama of TN start bawling for central Govt to act.
Our SL waters are rich in fish stock due to our method of fishing that catch only the big fish and not the tiny fish that are left to grow. However, Indian trawlers encroach our waters and trawl the very bottom for everything they can catch including the tiny fish. Soon our stocks will also be depleted.
I blame the GOSL for not taking a firm stand with Tamil Nadu and Central Govt against this encroachment and confiscating the Indian fishermen’s boats, trawlers and gear and fish. They should also be imprisoned and forced to pay a heavy fine.
It is an utter waste of our money and resources in patrolling these waters by our navy.