Sri Lankan Navy arrests nine Indian fishermen

COLOMBO: At least nine Indian fishermen were arrested, and their trawler seized for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the island nation's Navy has said.

The fishermen were fishing in the island nation's waters north of Talaimannar after crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, the Navy said.

The arrests come amid continuing tensions over the fishermen issue, a long-standing irritant in India-Sri Lanka ties.

The fishermen were apprehended on Wednesday evening during an operation after more than 50 Indian fishing trawlers were found to have allegedly trespassed into Sri Lankan waters south of Iranativu and engaged in illegal fishing, the Sri Lanka Navy said in a statement.

The nine arrested fishermen and their seized trawler were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mannar for further legal proceedings, the Navy said in a statement on Wednesday.

As of April 15, 128 Indian fishermen had been arrested, with 18 trawlers being seized by the Sri Lankan Navy so far for alleged poaching in Colombo’s waters this year.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.