RAMESWARAM: A Sri Lankan court on Friday, reportedly suspended the two-year jail sentence awarded to 16 Rameswaram-based fishermen, who were arrested by the island nation’s navy for allegedly trespassing into their territorial waters. The court also ordered their release on certain conditions. The development came shortly after their conviction by the same court.
The fishermen were arrested on July 5 and 8 in separate incidents, under a new fisheries act that contained provisions to punish foreign fishermen apprehended in Lankan waters with longer jail terms and hefty penalties.