Indian fishermen's group arrives in Sri Lanka to take possession of released boats

Colombo, Aug 28 (PTI) A 15-member team of Indian fishermen has arrived in Sri Lanka to take possession of fishing boats seized earlier by the Sri Lankan authorities for alleged poaching, officials said on Thursday.

Led by S Jesurasa, the group from Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram town reached the northern Jaffna district on Wednesday and inspected seven boats docked at the Myliddi fishing harbour. The vessels were released in 2022 by Sri Lankan authorities.

The fishermen are scheduled to spend three days in Jaffna to engage local repair workers to restore the engines of the boats before taking them back to India. They are expected to return later to ferry the vessels once the repairs are complete, officials said.

For years, Indian fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line into Sri Lankan waters were released by courts following their arrest by the Sri Lankan Navy, but their boats were routinely confiscated.

However, under a recent arrangement, courts have been given the discretion to release the boats as well, officials said.

Fishermen from both India and Sri Lanka are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering the island nation's territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries. PTI CORR SCY SCY