Confiscating poaching Indian fishing boats, a deterrent

by Ranil Wijayapala

Confiscating Indian fishing boats poaching in Sri Lankan waters was an effective deterrent.

This has systematically reduced the number of poaching fishermen, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijayagunaratne told the Sunday Observer.

He said from June 2014 to date, 84 Indian fishing boats which entered Sri Lankan waters had been taken into custody.

“Many Indian fishermen are now having second thoughts before entering Sri Lankan waters, as they do not wish to lose their costly craft,” the Navy Commander added. The Navy is assisting in repatriating the Indian fishermen when released by the Courts.

At present 51 Indian fishermen were under Sri Lankan custody..

The Indian media reported that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram had sought the intervention of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 41 Tamil Nadu fishermen, who have been in Sri Lankan custody over the past several weeks.

In the latest incident, four fishermen who set sail from Jegathapattinam fishing base in Pudukkottai district on a mechanised boat were apprehended by the Navy on Thursday morning. They were taken to Kankesanthurai.

“The continued incarceration of our fishermen and confiscating the boats in Sri Lanka as the festive season was beginning, was causing frustration among the fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu,” the Chief Minister said.