More Indian fishermen apprehended [February 17 2011]

Following Tuesday’s arrest of 112 Indian fishermen, another group of 24 Indian fishermen operating in seven boats in the Sri Lankan waters in the northern sea was apprehended by Sri Lankan fishermen last evening. Reports said that these fishermen too were fishing in the Madagal sea close to Kankasanturai.

They were immediately handed over to the Nilawali police for further inquires, police. This follows yesterday’s order of Point Pedro Megistrate to remand 112 Indian fishermen who were operating in Sri Lankan maritime waters until February 28.

Despite protests in Tamil Nadu yesterday over the arrest, an Indian official said that the Sri Lankan Navy appeared to have acted properly by arresting the Indian fishermen who invaded the Sri Lankan waters, instead of harassing or killing them. Speaking to Indian daily The Hindu, Commander of Coast Guard Region East, Inspector General Satya Prakash Sharma, has said that arrest of Indian fishermen was a better course of action adopted by the Sri Lankan Navy.  "If they willfully strayed into their waters, arrest was a step in the right direction," Sharma has said.

"In this case, it appeared that the Sri Lankan Navy had acted accordingly," the official has said. He has said that the Indian authorities followed the same approach whenever Sri Lankan fishermen were spotted in Indian waters. Sharma has told the Hindu that the two sides had an agreement for early release of genuine fishermen and the matter would be taken up with the Sri Lankan government through diplomatic channels as early as possible. The Indian Coast Guard, along with Indian Navy, had stepped up patrolling in Palk Bay, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait, the official has said.