Sri Lankan Navy arrests 6 Indian fishers for crossing International boundary line

RAMESWARAM: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested six Indian fishermen hailing from Rameswaram and seized their boats for allegedly trespassing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Condemning the arrests, all fishermen associations in Rameswaram staged a protest urging the Indian government to take steps for the release of those arrested.

“Around 465 boats from Rameswaram availed tokens and ventured into the sea for fishing on Saturday. One boat, consisting of six fishermen, was seized. Later, it was found that six fishermen were arrested,” said fisheries department officials.

The fishermen were identified as boat-owner Nishanth (38), Aandi (58) of Thangachimadam, Karunanidhi (46) of South Rameswaram, Ulaganathan (50) of Rameswaram, Soosai Viyagulam (35) of Thangachimadam and Bradley Jesu (36) of Thangachimadam. 

They are expected to be produced before the court on Monday and are now kept in custody in Sri Lanka’s Mannar region. According to the information released by the Sri Lankan Navy, the arrests were part of a special operation on Saturday to chase away Indian trawlers in the island nation’s waters. “ A Fast Attack Craft attached to the Northern Naval Command caught the six Indian fishermen.

The Sri Lankan Navy continues to carry out regular patrols in the island’s waters to prevent illegal fishing practices by foreign fishermen, with a view to curbing its impact on the local fishing community,” read the statement.

Speaking to TNIE, Jesuraj, a fishermen association member, said, “Rameswaram fishermen will be staging a one-day strike on Monday. More than 75 mechanized boats and more than 10 country boats have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy since 2018. The Union government should consider retrieving fishing boats which have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy over the years.”