Colombo: Seven Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly poaching in the island nation’s waters were repatriated on Wednesday, the Indian mission here said. “On their way home! 07 Indian fishermen have been successfully repatriated from Sri Lanka,” the Indian High Commission here said in a post on X. Last month, 30 Indian fishermen, who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy, returned to India.
The fishermen issue is a contentious topic in the bilateral ties, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. Sri Lanka claims a similar attitude by Indian authorities.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries, who are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters.
According to an official release by the Sri Lanka Navy, the number of Indians arrested this year by the island nation’s navy has risen to 333, and their trawlers seized to 45.
83 fishermen in judicial custody
Earlier in the first week of this month, the government informed Parliament that at least 83 Indian fishermen, who were apprehended for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters, are currently in the judicial custody of the island nation.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha also said four Indian fishermen are serving sentences and 169 Indian fishing vessels have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan authorities. He was asked whether the government has taken any action with regard to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s “letter dated July 11, 2024 requesting the release of 80 fishermen and 173 fishing boats detained by Sri Lankan Navy” and details thereof.
(With inputs from agency)
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