Sri Lankan Navy arrests 7 Indian fishermen for alleged illegal fishing

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday said it arrested seven Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters in the second such incident within a week.

The arrests were made on Monday night in the territorial waters of the Talaimannar region, the Navy spokesman said.

The arrested fishermen and their trawler would be handed over to the fisheries inspectorate in Mannar, the Navy said.

The Navy on Sunday arrested 8 Indian fishermen.

Fishermen from both India and Sri Lanka are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering the island nation's territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.