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The matter was raised in the Lower House of Indian parliament by members of regional All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party.
Swaraj said it was due to the new Government’s efforts that the five Indian fishermen who were awarded death sentence in Sri Lanka were pardoned and freed.
“It was due to our Government’s appeal to pardon the death sentence that they were released. Our government has tried its level best for their release. So when you are thanking Amma (former chief minister of southern Indian Tamil Nadu state, J. Jayalalithaa) for legal assistance, at the same time give credit, at least once, to that government whose efforts have culminated in their release,” said Swaraj.
A Sri Lankan court on 30 October, sentenced to death the five south Indian fishermen, almost three years after they were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.
This case of Indian fishermen dates back to 2011 when (the BJP-led) NDA was not in power.
Sushma Swaraj said the since Narendra Modi came to power in May, incidents involving Tamil fishermen in the sea dividing India and Sri Lanka had been resolved within three to seven days.
“Honourable speaker, it is only after our Government came to power that these issues are getting solved in no time. So, I would like to say that the present attitude Sri Lanka has towards India has changed to a great extent in recent times under this Government, which has led to a change in the tone and attitude of Sri Lankan Navy in dealing with them(fishermen),” Swaraj said.
Those five fishermen were accused of drug trafficking by Sri Lanka and released November 19 after President Mahinda Rajapaksa commuted their death penalty.
Swaraj said efforts are on to ensure that Indian fishermen do not accidentally stray into Sri Lankan waters.
“National Automated Integration Identification System will be launched. Under this system, the fishermen can be tracked upto 50 km through the transponder placed in their boats. Besides, through this transponder, when the fishermen cross our water border, there will be an alert siren that will make them cautious of cross the Indian border. It will work as alarm for them and will stop them from crossing the border,” said Swaraj.
Sri Lankan-Indian ties have been strained by what New Delhi deems to be a heightened Chinese presence in Sri Lanka, citing a recent visit of a Chinese warship and submarine to Colombo port.
India is also concerned about Sri Lanka’s treatment of minority Tamils, whose separatist insurgency was crushed in 2009 amid allegations of widespread atrocities against civilians by Colombo’s armed forces. Tamils share India’s main Hindu faith.
For its part, Sri Lanka has long fumed over poaching and illegal fishing by Indian fishermen that it says deplete the catches of its own fishermen.
Analysts say India will exert important influence on the way Sri Lankan Tamils vote in the island country’s snap presidential election expected to be held as soon as January.
In March, Rajapaksa freed 98 Indian fishermen detained for poaching as a “goodwill gesture” after New Delhi abstained in a vote on a UN resolution that approved an international inquiry into alleged war crimes in the defeat of the Tamil insurgency.
