NAGAPATTINAM: In a second such incident in a week, a total of 15 fishermen from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on Thursday night for allegedly trespassing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in the island nation’s waters.
Of the fishermen arrested, 12 are from Puducherry’s Karaikal. Two others are from Mayiladuthurai and another from Nagapattinam.
One of them, who was allegedly assaulted by naval personnel, was admitted to a hospital at the island nation’s Jaffna.
According to sources, the group of 15 fishermen ventured into the sea from Karaikal fishing harbour on Wednesday night in a mechanised boat owned by M Jeyamathi of Kilinjalmedu.
The group was fishing south of Point Calimere (Kodiyakarai) around 11.30 pm on Thursday when personnel from Sri Lanka’s northern naval command travelling in a fast interceptor craft confronted them.
While the personnel seized the boat along with the catch and the fishing nets, they also physically assaulted A Chandru (34) of Pudupettai in Mayiladuthurai district, sources added.
The Sri Lankan navy then directed the boat to Kankesanthurai harbour and handed over the arrested fishermen to the Sri Lanka fisheries department.
Chandru was meanwhile admitted to a government hospital in Jaffna.
The arrest comes hardly days after the Sri Lankan navy on the intervening night of March 9 and March 10 apprehended 22 other fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on similar charges.
Following the arrests, a group of fisher representatives headed to Puducherry where they met Chief Minister N Rangasamy, Assembly Speaker ‘Embalam’ R Selvam and Fisheries Minister K Lakshminarayanan demanding steps to secure the release of the arrested fishermen.
R Senthil, a fisher representative from Kilinjalmedu, said, “We also seek the boat’s release as it was newly built and was the source of income for its crew. We also want medical treatment for the injured fisherman.”
According to the Sri Lankan navy, a total of 125 fishers have been arrested and 16 trawlers seized so far this year on charges of poaching in the island nation’s waters.