AMN /
Sri Lankan navy arrested 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu late last night when they were fishing near Neduntheevu. The Lankan Navy also detained one fishing boat. A statement issued by the Lankan authority said the fishermen along with their trawler were arrested on charges of poaching into Sri Lankan waters in sea area south of Delft island yesterday.
They have been handed over to fisheries department in Jaffna for further legal action. With this, the total number of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody has gone up to 35. A total of 138 fishing boats are also in Sri Lankan custody.
The fishermen issue has been lingering between the two countries for long. Both countries have decided to set up a Joint Working Group to resolve the issue.
The ministerial meeting held in Colombo last month had decided to operationalize a hotline between the two coast guards and to set up a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to release the fishermen in each other’s custody.
Sri Lanka has been releasing Indian fishermen in custody on Humanitarian grounds but the fishing boats are not released.