Sri Lanka says fishermen issue with India is resolved

Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G L Peiris told parliament here that the issue of fishermen between India and Sri Lanka has been resolved. "It is a matter of deep satisfaction that we have been able to receive this matter amicably", Peiris said.

Cataloguing the events including the deaths of two Indian fishermen blamed on the Sri Lankan Navy in January and the arrest of Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka, Peiris said that the level of relations between the two nation saw to the resolution of the issue.

"Sri lanka deeply values the close bilateral relations with India", Peiris stressed. He said the Sri lankan Navy's non presence at the two locations where the two shooting incidents of Indian fishermen had been proved in the Sri Lankan investigations.

"Authorities do have the obligation to prevent the incursions of the international maritime border line", Peiris said. Future similar disputes are to be resolved through talks, "We proposed to revive the joint working group on fishing".

Peiris' statement came as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Rajya Sabha that India had asked Sri lanka not to fire at fishermen. Sri Lanka on February 18 had released 136 Indian fishermen who were apprehended for allegedly poaching in this country's waters after India conveyed its deep concern over their detention and sought their release.

The arrests had triggered protests in Tamil Nadu where over 5,000 DMK workers, including party MPs Kanimozhi and T K S Elangovan, had been arrested when they tried to take out a rally to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission.

India had last month accused the Sri Lankan Navy of killing at least two Indian fishermen. This had triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two south Asian neighbours following which Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao visited Colombo to seek assurances to prevent such incidents in future.