SUNIL JAYASIRI 
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SL cries foul over EU action
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The Sri Lankan government asked why the European Union (EU) did not take action on India for failing to stop its fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
Deputy Fisheries Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne told Parliament that the EU had issued a yellow card (warning) to Sri Lanka on the grounds that the government had failed to ratify international laws and conventions and thus prevent Sri Lankans from engaging in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in international waters.
“Today, we are going to ratify such international laws and conventions by amending the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act. We are happy about it. Yet, fishermen from Tamil Nadu rape our seas on a daily basis. They have denied our people their livelihood. Our fisheries resources are depleted because of such poaching. The EU warned us earlier on IUU fishing. Likewise, we ask them why not take similar action against India,” the deputy minister said during the debate on the new law. The new Bill enacted in Parliament regulates fishing activities. It stipulates action against Sri Lankan fishermen found guilty of IUU fishing in international waters.
The deputy minister also criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jeyaram for allowing fishermen from her state to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and to indulge in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters in the North.(KB & YP)
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