<p>India and Sri Lanka Thursday exchanged jailed fishermen on the narrow sea dividing the two countries, the Indian Coast Guard said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A Coast Guard ship, Vishwast, ferried 52 Sri Lankan fishermen to the international maritime boundary line where three Sri Lankan ships came 51 Indian fishermen.<br /><br />The Coast Guard said one Indian fishermen from Karaikal in Tamil Nadu was not sent home as he was in a hospital in Jaffna.<br /><br />The Coast Guard said the concurrent repatriation of 51 Indian and 52 Sri Lankan fishermen was completed at about 3 p.m.<br /><br />The 51 Indians would be handed over to the fisheries authority in Karaikal.<br /><br />The release of the fishermen comes ahead of the Jan 20 talks between the fishing communities of the two countries here.<br /><br />Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced Jan 11 that her government had taken steps to release 275 Indian fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan jails. <br /><br />She said the government would also take steps to release 179 Sri Lankan fishermen lodged in jails in Tamil Nadu.</p>
<p>India and Sri Lanka Thursday exchanged jailed fishermen on the narrow sea dividing the two countries, the Indian Coast Guard said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A Coast Guard ship, Vishwast, ferried 52 Sri Lankan fishermen to the international maritime boundary line where three Sri Lankan ships came 51 Indian fishermen.<br /><br />The Coast Guard said one Indian fishermen from Karaikal in Tamil Nadu was not sent home as he was in a hospital in Jaffna.<br /><br />The Coast Guard said the concurrent repatriation of 51 Indian and 52 Sri Lankan fishermen was completed at about 3 p.m.<br /><br />The 51 Indians would be handed over to the fisheries authority in Karaikal.<br /><br />The release of the fishermen comes ahead of the Jan 20 talks between the fishing communities of the two countries here.<br /><br />Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced Jan 11 that her government had taken steps to release 275 Indian fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan jails. <br /><br />She said the government would also take steps to release 179 Sri Lankan fishermen lodged in jails in Tamil Nadu.</p>