The Sri Lankan navy detained 17 Indian fishermen and their three boats on Wednesday night on charges of poaching in the territorial waters of the island nation. Among them, eight are from Rameswaram while nine are from Jegathapattinam and Kottaipattinam fishing harbours in Pudukottai district.
Almost after 13 days of break due to inclement weather and a strike over poor prices for their catch, Rameswaram fishermen sailed on a fishing expedition on Wednesday. More than 500 boats sailed from Rameswaram jetty. Among these boats, one fishing boat that belonged to Antony of Rameswaram which had eight crew members including the boat owner was taken into custody.
Among the 163 fishing boats that ventured into the sea from Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district, a boat that belonged to Senthil with the four-member crew was detained. Among the 78 fishing boats that sailed from Jegathapattinam in Pudukottai district, a boat that belonged to Ramakrishnan with the five-member crew was detained by the Sri Lankan navy.
According to the Sri Lankan navy, three boats that were poaching in the Sri Lankan waters off Kakarathivu and Kovilan Lighthouse, Jaffna, were detained. The navy brought these three boats and 17 Indian fishermen to Kankesanthurai port and handed them over to the fisheries inspector at Mailadi for onward legal proceedings.
The Sri Lankan navy seized 17 boats and detained 110 Indian fishermen this year. Fishermen leader P Jesuraja of Rameswaram said the detention of the fishers by the Sri Lankan navy was frustrating. “Though the fishers are regularly released by Sri Lanka, the fishing boats are confiscated, crippling our livelihood,” he said.