TN fishermen released

16 June 2011 03:58 pm Views - 2940

Four Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested and remanded in judicial custody by Sri Lankan authorities for intruding into Lankan waters, were released today, a top coast guard official said.

Sri Lankan naval personnel handed over the fishermen to the ICG at the International Maritime Boundary Line this evening, Indian Coast Guard Commanding Officer H Harish Morre told reporters here.

The fishermen were being brought to Mandapam near here by an ICG vessel.

The official said the four had put to sea on May 30 in a mechanised fishing boat which capsized in mid-sea on June one due to strong gales. However, they managed to swim and reach Naina Island near the Lankan coast. They were arrested by Oorkavalthurai police for straying into the Lankan waters without valid documents.

On the Indian government's intervention, the Sri Lankan government released all the four today. PTI