Saturday, 4 January 2014 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Navy says it arrested 25 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters yesterday and seized their boats.
Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said that the fishermen were arrested off Mannar.
The Indian media however said that 32 fishermen were arrested while they were fishing off Dhanushkodi.
The fishermen of nearby Mandapam were fishing in the Gulf of Mannar Sea near Dhanushkodi at the time of the arrest, fishermen association officials in India said, according to the Press Trust of India.
Six mechanised boats of the fishermen were seized by the Sri Lankan naval personnel, Rameswaram Fishermen Organisation president S Emerit and Pamban ‘Nesakarangal’ president S Armstrong Fernando said quoting information received by them.
The Lankan naval men also allegedly damaged the fishing nets of the ten other boats and threatened the fishermen of about 50 boats not to fish in the area driving them away, they said.
Emerit said the 32 fishermen had been taken to Kalpitty police station in Sri Lanka. This is the third instance of arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy in the last 10 days.
(Colombo Gazette)
