In the early hours of Tuesday, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended two boats carrying nine Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) near Delft Island. The detained fishermen have been taken to Sri Lanka for further legal proceedings.
On Monday, over 500 boats from Rameswaram set out to sea for fishing. While fishing near the IMBL, some boats reportedly crossed into Sri Lankan waters. The Sri Lankan Navy patrol unit pursued the boats, and upon finding them still in Sri Lankan waters, captured two Indian boats with a total of nine fishermen near Delft Island. According to a fisheries department official in Ramanathapuram, all the arrested fishermen are from Rameswaram in the Ramanathapuram district.
The first boat’s crew includes Sahaya Robert (49), Yacob (24), Muthuramalingam (65), Radha (44), and Sekar (40). The second boat’s crew comprises Harikrishnan (50), Pon Ramaraj (26), Ramkumar (24), and Libin Sai (25). The fishermen have been taken to Sri Lanka for legal proceedings.
The fishermen’s association from Rameswaram has condemned the arrests. Last week, fishermen led by DMK and Congress party leaders staged a significant protest against the Sri Lankan Navy’s actions. Notably, the Indian fishermen arrested in July by the Sri Lankan Navy have not yet been released. The fishermen’s association has urged the Union government to intervene and secure the release of the detained Indian fishermen and the confiscated boats.
Source: The New Indian Express
