Thirteen Indian fishermen released

Fisheries authorities have released 13 Indian fishermen who were apprehended off Trincomalee on January 11, the Navy said.

“The trawlers were initially sighted at a location 14.2 nautical miles north-east of Pulmoddai around 03.00 p.m. on January 10. They were kept under surveillance by patrolling SLN vessels of the Eastern Naval Command due to intrusive behaviour. Having consistently observed the trawlers’ unwarranted movement towards land, they were taken into custody with 13 crew members onboard at a location 6.5 nautical miles east of Pulmoddai on January 11 morning for wilfully trespassing in Sri Lankan waters,” the Navy said.

Working at an informal level, India and Sri Lanka decided to release the fishermen, a spokesman for the Indian High Commission and the Sri Lankan Navy said. The Indian fishing trawlers, now in the Trincomalee Harbour, and the fishermen, under the care of the Indian High Commission, will leave as soon as local level coordination is completed.

Meanwhile, the much-postponed talks between the Indian and Sri Lankan Governments on the Joint Working Group on Fisheries, were held yesterday. Bilateral talks were last held in March 2011 in New Delhi.

Reviewing the progress on the bilateral talks, the Indian and Sri Lankan Foreign Ministers had “agreed that the use of force could not be justified under any circumstances and that all fishermen should be treated in a humane manner.”

The two Foreign Ministers, in a joint statement after their last formal meeting “noted that the Joint Statement on Fishing Arrangements of October 26, 2008 had led to a decrease in violent incidents [of firing against Indian fishermen]. The two sides emphasised the importance of an early conclusion of the draft Memorandum of Understanding on Development and Cooperation in the field of Fisheries between India and Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka has shown considerable flexibility and understanding in releasing the fishermen who had strayed into the International Maritime Boundary Line.