Eleven Indian fishermen were arrested and three fishing trawlers were seized, Sri Lankan Navy confirmed in a statement, alleging they were poaching into Sri Lankan territorial water. The action came at a time when Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris was still in New Delhi on his official tour.    

The arrests were made off the Delft Island in the north on Monday, the Sri Lankan Navy confirmed in a statement on Tuesday. It added that they were indulging in bottom trawling.

“The arrests are part of the Navy’s patrols to cut illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters to minimize impact from poaching on the local fishermen and sustainability of fishery resources in Sri Lanka,” the Navy said.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries, and the fishermen from India’s Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka often spar over fishing rights.

Sri Lanka had banned the use of bottom trawlers to protect the fast depleting marine resource, while the Indian fishermen kept using it, which also harm the fishing net by Sri Lankans, according to reports in Sri Lankan media.

The issue also figured in the talks between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris in New Delhi on Monday.

“Both sides reiterated the longstanding consensus to handle fishermen issues through humanitarian approach and refrain from the use of violence in dealing with incidents along the IMBL,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“They agreed that bilateral mechanisms should meet early, starting with the Joint Working Group on Fisheries,” it added.
On the other hand, Peiris termed the issue a "flashpoint" and stressed some "immediate" sort of measures. He, however, confirmed two sides are engaged in talks for a long-term solution, including a proposal to allow Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing rights over the contentious region if they agree to stop the usage of bottom trawlers. New Delhi is keen to find an amicable solution to the long-simmering fishing dispute as its a hot political issue in Tamil Nadu state, where political parties opposed to the Modi government often use it to inflame local passions.

(SAM)