RAMESWARAM: Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday apprehended four Indian fishermen along with a boat, who had ventured into the sea from Mandapam. They were charged with poaching in its territorial water.
This apprehension comes after the navy of the island nation had arrested 12 Rameswaram based fishermen with their two boats three days ago. The apprehended fishermen have been identified as Selvam, Dinesh, Irulandi and Kovindaraj and were taken to the Kankesanthurai naval camp for further inquiry.
Sources said these four fishermen had set out for fishing from Mandapam on Saturday morning in a mechanised boat owned by one Sathish and were apprehended when they were fishing near Neduntheevu (Delft island) of Sri Lanka.
In addition, Sri Lankan navy, in its release, said that the Indian fishing trawler was impounded in the waters 12 nautical miles North West of the Neduntheevu and practised illegal bottom trawling which is considered as a destructive fishing method.
Meanwhile, the fishermen associations functioning in the district are planning to conduct a consultation meeting on Monday to conclude the next course of action against the recently amended Sri Lankan fisheries law that has provisions to severely punish the foreign fishermen being apprehended in territorial water of the island nation with a longer jail term and hefty penalty.E,