Sri Lanka Navy arrests 28 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters

Mar 13, Colombo: Sri Lanka Navy said it has assisted the Sri Lanka Coast Guard on Saturday (12) to arrest 28 Indian fishermen in two separate incidents for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

In one incident, the Navy personnel arrested 23 Indian fishermen along with three small boats while fishing in the sea area of Thaulpadu off Mannar. Another five Indian fishermen were arrested along with a fishing trawler while fishing in the seas off Delft Island.

 The arrested Indian fishermen and the items have been handed over to the Mannar Police Station and Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Jaffna respectively. The fishermen belonged to Pudukkottai, Pamban and Tuticorin areas of Tamil Nadu according to Indian media. This is the fourth detention of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy this month. On Friday Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in a letter urged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take "proactive action" through proper diplomatic channels for the immediate release of all the fishermen and 78 fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody.