Navy denies arrest of Indian fishermen

Sri Lanka Navy today denied reports by the Indian media, that it arrested 14 Indian for allegedly fishing in Lankan waters. Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya denied the report and said that no arrest of Indian fishermen has been made by the Navy.

“Nothing of this sort has taken place”, he said.  In the report, it alleged that the eighteen fishermen had set out to sea in two boats and 14 of them had been arrested and taken to Mannar district in Sri Lanka, Assistant Director of Fisheries Department Markandeyan, said quoting Coastguard officials where one boat was detained.

Four other fishermen were released along with one boat. Following the arrest, Coastguard officials said the released fishermen had told them that they had been fishing in Indian waters near the third sand-dune off Arichalmunai when the Sri Lankan Navy arrested them around 12:30 PM.

The report further states that twenty-three Indian fishermen, along with five trawlers, were arrested on June 21 off the north east coast of Mannar by the Sri Lankan Navy which alleged that they were fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

They were remanded to judicial custody but released on June 29 following an order from Mannar district court.

Following the arrest, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to secure their release, according to the report. (Supun Dias)