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| Sunday, 09 March 2003 |
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No more 'fishing in our waters' - Ministry by P. Krishnaswamy "Keep poachers out"! Fisheries authorities have made this order to all Coast Guards patrolling the Northern seas, following last week's clashes between the Sri Lankan fishermen and a group of Indian fishermen who had strayed into the Island's territorial waters off Pesalai in Mannar District. Fisheries and Ocean Resources Minister, Mahinda Wijesekera told the Sunday Observer that his Ministry was taking all necessary steps to keep poachers out. He said that he would first meet the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo for discussions on the matter and for arrangements, through him, for later discussions with the Indian fisheries authorities, including the Union and State Government Ministers. The Indian fishermen were arrested and legal action is being taken against them. "Sri Lanka is only following suit with India in the matter," the Minister said adding that the law should apply equally to both countries, including confiscation of vessels". "The Sri Lankan Navy has not been able to patrol the Northern seas prior to the signing of the MoU due to activities of the 'Sea Tigers' who remained indifferent to poaching, for several years. Since the issue has arisen only recently, Sri Lanka would now arrange to procure ships, aircraft and fast boats, equipped with modern technology, for surveillance, patrolling and management of aquatic resources in the Northern seas", the Minister further said. More than 100 Indian fishermen and 19 of their fishing trawlers were apprehended by their Sri Lankan counterparts in the encounter and handed over to the Mannar police. Several of the Indian fishermen were injured and warded in the Mannar hospital. Mannar District Judge M. P. Mohideen ordered the skippers of the trawlers to be kept in remand until the 20 of this month and released the entire crew who were handed over to the Indian authorities by the Sri Lankan Navy last Thursday. The Northern fishermen who resumed fishing a year ago after the lifting of a 10 year long security ban, have repeatedly complained to the fisheries authorities and others concerned that the livelihood of nearly 21,000 fisher families of the North was being threatened by Indian poachers. On an earlier occasion too, about four months ago, the Pesalai fishermen apprehended 24 trawlers and their 105 crew. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Jaffna, Selvam Adaickalanathan, has written to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe complaining about the indifference of the Navy over poaching by Indian fishermen and calling for immediate remedial measures. He has also stated that this issue should be mutually settled by the two governments. President of the Union of Northern Fishermen's Co-operative Societies, S. Thavaratnam, told the Sunday Observer that fish and prawn stocks were being depleted and the very livelihood of the Northern fisher families who resumed fishing only a year, after 15 year ban, was being threatened due to the poaching in their traditional fishing grounds. |
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