Sri Lankan Navy arrests 12 Indian fishermen, Rameswaram fishers to strike work on Monday
Official sources said that one mechanised boat from Rameshwaran consisting of 12 fishermen all are residents of Rameshwaram and Thangachimadam area ventured into the sea on Saturday night.
Published: 03rd April 2022 12:48 PM | Last Updated: 04th April 2022 09:10 AM | A+A A-
Fishermen captured by the Sri Lankan Navy(Photo | Express)
RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 12 more Indian fishermen on Sunday for allegedly fishing beyond the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). To strongly condemn the repeated arrests of Indians at sea, fishermen associations in Rameswaram have decided to hold a strike protest on Monday.
Official sources said 12 fishermen from Rameswaram and Thangachimadam area ventured out into the sea on Saturday night in a mechanised boat. "They were arrested by the island nation's navy off the Delft Island coast. The men along with their boat were taken to Mailadi fishery harbour, and were handed over to the fisheries inspector in Jaffna. The fishermen have been remanded in custody till April 12," the sources added.
The Lankan Navy also issued a release and said their officers had conducted a special operation on Sunday "to chase away a large number of Indian trawlers poaching in Sri Lankan waters northeast of the Delft Island in Jaffna".
It may be noted that the navy arrested 16 Indian fishermen on March 23 and seized their two boats for allegedly violating the IMBL, and six days later four more were arrested on the same charges.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, the president of a fishermen association in Rameswaram, Sahayam, said over 100 fishermen have been arrested and 25 boats seized by Sri Lanka in the past four months. "To strongly express our opposition, and to urge authorities to intervene for the fishers’ release, all fisherfolk will observe strike on Monday," he added.
