India on Saturday raised the “humanitarian” issue of Indian fishermen’s rights with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, who has stoked a controversy by saying they may be shot if they intrude into Lankan waters.
On a two-day trip ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here next week, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also made it clear to him that there was no comparison between the issues of Italian sailors and Indian fishermen.
“In the discussion with the prime minister of Sri Lanka, she (Swaraj) raised the matter regarding issues related to Indian fishermen. She explained our view that issues of fishermen are humanitarian issues. They are issues of livelihood,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters, hours after Wickramasinghe’s remarks in an interview to a Tamil channel stoked a controversy.
Wickramasinghe said Indian fishermen were taking away the livelihood of Northern Lankan fishermen.
“If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. If he gets killed, law allows me to do that,” he had said.
Italian sailors’ example
Wickramasinghe also linked the right to take coercive action to the issue of Italian sailors being arrested, saying if India is friendly with Italy, it should show the “same magnanimity to Italy that you want us to show”. Asked about Lanka’s attempt to link the two, Akbaruddin said, “Absolutely no.
These are two different issues.” He explained that there are different aspects if one viewed them either from a humanitarian perspective or legal perspective.
“And the external affairs minister forthrightly explained to the Sri Lankan prime minister our perspective on this. Our understanding is that he does understand what the nuances and differences are, and agreed to take this conversation forward,” he said.
The issue of Indian fishermen also figured in the talks the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had with Swaraj.
This is the first time the TNA has raised the issue of fishermen with the Indian government, said analysts here.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks