MR and Modi discuss fishermen’s case

Tuesday, 11 November 2014 01:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday have discussed the plight of the five Indian fishermen sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court for narcotics smuggling.

Sources at the President’s office have confirmed to The Hindu that the President telephoned Modi and the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the fishermen’s sentence. They have also discussed a possible meeting between the two leaders when they attend the 18th SAARC summit in Nepal later this month. Rajapaksa and Modi are likely to meet on the sidelines of the summit which will be held from 22-27 November in Kathmandu and the issue of the fishermen is likely to be discussed. The Colombo High Court on 30 October sentenced the five Indian fishermen – P. Emerson, P. Augustus, R. Wilson, K. Prasath, and J. Lanklet – along with three Sri Lankans to death on charges of smuggling 995 grams of heroin. They were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for heroin trafficking in 2011. While local media reports here on Monday said the fishermen may be transferred to an Indian prison, official sources in the President’s office have told The Hindu that a final decision was yet to be taken. On the orders of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, the Indian High Commission in Colombo has hired the best legal experts in the island to appeal the lower court ruling. The Indian fishermen claim that they have been falsely implicated in the case on ‘fabricated evidence’. Indian authorities say they have GPS data that could potentially serve as crucial evidence to prove the fishermen’s innocence.

BJP leader says Sri Lanka to extradite the five fishermen on death row to India Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy says Sri Lanka agreed to transfer the five Indian fishermen ,who were sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court for drug smuggling, to India. According to the BJP leader during the discussions Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Sunday over the phone, Sri Lanka has agreed to transfer all five Indian fishermen to an Indian jail. “Namo and Rajapaksa spoke on the phone yesterday & agreed to process papers & transfer 5 fishermen convicted to Indian jail. I am vindicated!” Swamy said in a Twitter message Monday. Sri Lanka’s Colombo High Court on October 30th sentenced the five fishermen from Tamil Nadu - P Emerson, P Augustus, R Wilson, K Prasath, and J Lanklet - to death on charges of smuggling 995 grams of heroin. They were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for heroin trafficking in 2011. The Tamil Nadu government said in a release Saturday that India’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka through lawyers was preparing to file an appeal in the Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Monday challenging the death sentences.

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