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Sri Lankan Navy arrests three Indian fishermen off Delft Island
24 Mar, 2016
The Navy said the Sri Lanka Coast Guard arrested three Indian fishermen for illegal poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
The fishermen along with one Indian fishing trawler were taken into custody in North-West of Delft Island, Xinhua reported.
The Navy said the arrested fishermen were handed over to the officials of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Jaffna.
Sri Lanka and India have been trying to resolve the long standing fishermen issue with fishermen from both sides having to face arrest and boats being detained when they stray into each other’s waters illegally.
Last month, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was in Colombo to attend the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, held discussions with her Sri Lankan counterpart over the issue and both countries accepted to find a long lasting solution.
Indian media reports recently quoted Swaraj as saying that a meeting of ministers dealing with fisheries from India and Sri Lanka will be convened in May to evolve a mechanism to resolve the lingering issue.
The Indian minister also said her Government will enforce installation of GPS systems on fishing boats to steer them clear of maritime boundaries. (Colombo Gazette)
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