7 fishermen held by Sri Lankan Navy

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested seven fishermen and confiscated their trawlers when they were fishing on the high seas, northwest off Thalaimannar on the first day of the new fishing season on Monday, ending the 45-day ban.

The fishermen, were part of the 4,000 fishermen who had set out for fishing on Sunday night.

On being handed over to the Fisheries Department in Mannar, they were produced before the local magistrate court and remanded to judicial custody in Vavuniya prison till June 14, U Arulanandham, president of the Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen, said.

The arrest on the very first day of the new season dashed the hopes of the fishermen for peaceful fishing, fishermen leader P. Sesu Raja said. The arrested fishermen were just half a nautical mile inside the Sri Lankan waters from the International Maritime Border Line when they were arrested, he said.

Meanwhile, fishermen who returned to the shore on Tuesday said that they were not happy with the first day catch as the average catch of prawns was about 100 to 110 kg per trawler.

A few hours after the arrest, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue and further urged him to secure the release of the seven fishermen. “The Sri Lankan government continues to infringe upon the traditional rights our fishermen have historically enjoyed to fish in the Palk Bay,” Ms. Jayalalithaa’s letter to Mr. Modi, which was released to the media, stated. She also reiterated her government’s stand on the International Maritime Boundary Line, over which a case was pending before the Supreme Court of India. “The Sri Lankan strategy of not releasing the boats and fishing gear of our fishermen is causing great frustration amongst the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. Without their livelihood base, these fishermen are in a state of despondency,” she added.