RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended one Indian fishing boat carrying eight fishermen from Rameswaram for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the early hours of Sunday. This marks the first arrest since the commencement of the annual fishing ban.
According to official sources from the Fisheries Department, around 300 mechanised fishing boats from the Rameswaram north port ventured into the sea on Saturday.
On Sunday, while returning to shore, some fishermen reportedly drifted beyond the IMBL. The Sri Lankan Navy chased away the Indian fishing boats, but one vessel that remained in Sri Lankan waters was intercepted by a Navy patrol unit near Delft Island. The boat, carrying an eight-member crew, was taken into custody.
The arrested fishermen and their boat have been taken to Talaimannar for further legal proceedings.
Official sources said the boat, bearing registration number IND-TN-10-MM-773 and owned by S. Pandityammal of Rameswaram, was seized by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday.
The eight arrested fishermen were identified as S. Sesu (39), N. Annamalai (55), V. Kalyanaraman (48), S. Syed Ibrahim (35), N. Muneeswaran (35), U. Selvam (28), K. Kanthivek (67) and Balamurugan (24), all of whom hail from Rameswaram. Details of the arrested fishermen have been forwarded to the concerned authorities for further legal action.
Fishermen associations from Rameswaram condemned the arrest and urged the Union Government to take immediate steps to secure the release of the fishermen and retrieve the seized boat.