SL hands 37 Chinese fishermen to embassy

7 August 2012 07:29 pm Views - 3592

Sri Lanka handed over 37 Chinese fishermen to their embassy on Tuesday, officials said, two days after the Sri Lankan navy arrested them for fishing without permission in Sri Lankan waters, Reuters reported.

The fishermen were arrested aboard two trawlers off the east coast town of Batticaloa on Sunday, along with two Sri Lankan agents.

"The fault is not with the (Chinese) crew. The case is against the (Sri Lankan) owner now," Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya told Reuters. "We have handed over the Chinese crew to officials from the Chinese embassy," he said.