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| Sunday, 6 April 2003 |
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Rising incidents of poaching by foreign fishermen : Navy steps up vigilance by P. Krishnaswamy The Navy has been ordered to intensify patrolling off the Northern coastal waters to prevent poaching by foreign fishing trawlers, Defence Secretary Austin Fernando told the Sunday Observer. The order comes in the wake of increasing incidents of poaching and unauthorised activities in the Northern seas which two weeks ago saw a Chinese trawler gunned down by unidentified forces off the Mullaitivu coast. Last month, Sri Lankan fishermen of Pesalai and Talaimannar attacked the foreign poachers, apprehended them and took over their fishing trawlers. However, the order to intensify patrolling of the Northern coastal waters follows an incident at Velvettithurai in Vadamarachchi, where an Indian crew were alleged to have attacked local fishermen with clubs, damaged their fishing nets and robbed them off their catch of fish and prawns. Secretary Fernando said that the police have been ordered to investigate into the matter and take necessary action. Sources in Velvettithurai said that the affected fishermen have brought the matter to the notice of the local LTTE office and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). President of the Northern Fishermen's Co-operative Societies, S. Thavaratnam, said that "the incident was an act of piracy in our coastal waters". Fishermen's representatives had stated that the Indian trawlers extensively damaged the seabeds and the nets used by them depleted marine resources. The Indian trawlers had also damaged the continental shelf which the Sri Lankans have been protecting for centuries. Fishermen's associations had also staged protest demonstrations, joined by Northern parliamentarians, urging the Government to take up the issue with the Indian centre and the state governments. |
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