RAMESWARAM: The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested seven Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized one mechanised boat for allegedly trespassing into the island nation’s territorial waters.
The arrested were identified as Joseph Paulraj (37), Benito (40), Nagaraj (45), Innasi (22), Subramani (35), Muniyasamy (48) and Sathiyaseelan (25), all from Rameswaram. The fishermen ventured into the sea on Saturday early morning.
The Lankan navy intercepted their vessel somewhere between Katchatheevu and the Gulf of Mannar, sources said. Local fishermen claimed that the fishing vessel crossed the International Maritime Boundary after having caught in a gale.
Loss of nets due to navy action: Fishermen
Nagapattinam: Three fisherman from Vedaranyam alleged their nets were forcibly taken away by Sri Nankan Navy personnel when they had gone for fishing on Friday. They made the claims when they returned on Sunday.
A fisherman named Sathiyseelan, and two other fishers from Arukatuthurai had gone for fishing on Friday. They were fishing about a dozen nautical miles from Kodiyakarai. When they returned, they found that 130 kilos of nets were missing. They alleged that their nets were torn and taken away by the Sri Lankan Navy when they had spread the nets. A case has been registered by the Marine Police.