Lagatar24 Desk
Colombo, Feb 13: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 12 Indian fishermen and seized two fishing trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, according to an official statement released on Sunday,
The arrests were made north of Talaimannar in the waters. According to the Navy, they were bottom trawling.
“In an operation conducted in seas north of Talaimannar in the dark hours of February 12, Sri Lanka Navy managed to seize 2 Indian trawlers with 12 Indian fishermen whilst poaching in Sri Lankan waters,” said the statement.
Notably, this is the third time Indian fishermen have been apprehended in Sri Lankan waters this month. The Navy apprehended 11 Indian fishermen on February 8 and impounded three fishing trawlers, while 21 Indian fishermen were arrested on February 1.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in ties between the two countries. There have been multiple reports of Sri Lankan Navy forces firing on Indian fishermen and seizing their boats in the Palk Strait. For fisherman from both countries, the Palk Strait, a thin stretch of water separating Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, is a fertile fishing field.
