Lankan Navy detains 34 Indian fishermen

Rameshwaram: The Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday detained 34 Indian fishermen and seized seven boats near Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.

In an endeavour to deter the Indian fishermen from trying to fish in their waters, the Sri Lankan Government yesterday decided that it would take strict action against the owners of the boats.

According to LankaPage, Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Mahinda Amaraweera said the government will release the poaching Indian fishermen but will confiscate their boats and fishing equipments.

On October 13, the Sri Lankan Navy had arrested 24 Indian fishermen and also seized four boats near Gulf of Mannar.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe to treat the issue of fishermen as a humanitarian matter. (ANI)