Sri Lankan Navy arrests 11 Indian fishermen for alleged poaching

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 11 Indian fishermen and seized three fishing trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, an official statement said on Tuesday. The arrests were made close to Delft Island in the north on Monday. They were indulging in bottom trawling, the Navy said. The arrests are part of the Navy’s patrols to cut illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters to minimise impact from poaching on the local fishermen and sustainability of fishery resources in Sri Lanka, the statement said. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in ties between the two countries. The issue of fishermen also figured in the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris in New Delhi on Monday. Peiris is on a three-day official visit to India. “Exchanged views on the fishermen issue and agreed that bilateral mechanisms should meet early. Also noted the importance of P2P linkages through greater connectivity,” Jaishankar said.