COLOMBO: Seven Indian fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly poaching in the country's waters in North Western province, media reported today.
The Sri Lanka Navy said it assisted the Sri Lanka Coast Guard in seizing a fishing vessel in the sea north of Baththalangunduwa in Kalpitiya on Monday.
They also seized 500 kgs of fish and navigational equipment from the seven arrested Indian fishermen, ColomboPage reported today.
The arrested fishermen will be handed over to the officials of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Puttalam) for further investigations, the Navy said.
The Sri Lanka Navy, which conducts routine patrols and surveillance to ensure the security of the seas, last week on two separate occasions arrested 21 fishermen from Tamil Nadu for poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
Sri Lanka accuses the fishermen from Tamil Nadu of straying into their territorial waters, while the latter maintain they are only fishing in their traditional areas, especially around Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Colombo in 1974.