Sri Lankan Navy arrests 14 Indian fishermen

The Navy confirmed the arrest during its patrol to prevent the trespassing of Indian poachers and smuggling activities in their territorial waters.

Colombo: Fourteen Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of poaching in the Island nation's territorial waters.

According to a statement from Sri Lankan navy, these fishermen in three trawlers were apprehended in the seas North of Delft Island on Saturday. The group of Indian fishermen were poaching in Sri Lankan territorial waters when the apprehensions were made, the navy's statement read.

The apprehended fishermen were taken to Sri Lankan naval base 'Uththara' while their fishing crafts have been taken to the naval base 'Elara. The arrested fishermen are in the ages of 20 to 70.

The fishermen were to be handed over to Assistant Director of Fisheries at Jaffna for further action, according to Sri Lankan navy.

The row between Indian and Sri Lankan fishers over fishing in the troubled waters in Palk Strait has been going on for nearly three decades. While the Sri Lankan fishermen accuse their Indian counterparts of poaching the limited marine resources in their territorial waters using destructive fishing gear and practices, the Indian fishermen have been accusing Sri Lankan navy of arresting them and crippling their livelihood by confiscating the crafts.

The series of talks between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen representatives, held in the past to resolve the issue, never achieved any positive results as Sri Lankan fishermen insist that Indian fishermen should stop the destructive trawl fishing in the first place to find any solution in this regard. The Indian fishermen, however, have been demanding a certain time frame to switch over from trawl fishing to other fishing methods.