10 Nagai fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday when 10 fishermen of Nagapattinam district, who had ventured into sea from Karaikal, were arrested for fishing in Indian waters. According to official sources, they were fishing in deep waters for around 10 days and had accidentally strayed into Sri Lankan waters. According to Sri Lankan Navy, the 10 fishermen in a mechanised boat had entered Lankan waters and were fishing at 10 nautical miles north of Kovilan point. The arrested fishermen, the trawler and the catch were taken to SLNS Elara at Kareinagar in Sri Lanka and handed over to the fisheries department at Jaffna.  Later, they were produced in a court and remanded till October 20. 

As many as 40 fishermen from Nagapattinam who were made to stay in Mandapam fish jetty for three days had proceeded to Sri Lanka to retrieve the boats seized by Sri Lankan Navy in the year 2015. Since 2015, Sri Lankan Navy had arrested scores of Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized more than 170 boats. Though the fishermen were freed, their boats remained in Sri Lanka. However, recently Sri Lanka had agreed to let free 42 boats seized in 2015 and a team of officials from Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department and fishermen had gone to inspect the conditions of boat. 

Already fishermen, in three phases, have and come back with their boats from Sri Lanka. As part of the fourth phase, as many as 40 fishermen from Nagapattinam were called to retrieve six boats at Sri Lanka. They had arrived at the Mandapam fish jetty on Thursday and were made to stay there for three days. The fishermen demanded the Central government to hold talks with Sri Lanka and permit them to take the boats. 

The news of the fishermen kept at fish jetty for three days was widely reported in various media and following which the fishermen were taken to Sri Lanka on Sunday. Officials of Fisheries Department said that the Coast Guard orders came only on Sunday morning and so the fishermen were rushed to Sri Lanka. The fishermen would be handed over to Sri Lankan Navy and they would retrieve the six boats of Nagapattinam area and would return in another three days.