Indian fishermen poaching in SL waters:

Amaraweera in talks with Sinha

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, Mahinda Amaraweera, will meet Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Y.K. Sinha, this week to discuss the thorny issue of Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

Minister Amaraweera said several rounds of talks held between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen's federations over the past several months have failed to resolve the issue.

"Many Indian fishermen's organizations were affiliated to Tamil Nadu politicians and they also own fishing vessels, which results in the dispute over fishing getting mired in Tamil Nadu politics," he said.

The Fisheries Ministry along with fishermen's federations will hold bilateral talks with the Centre as engagement with the Tamil Nadu Government is unlikely to yield any result, Amaraweera said.

Sri Lankan authorities have vowed to take action against Indian fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with increasing numbers of Indian fishermen being arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy. At present, there are 71 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody as opposed to nine Sri Lankan fishermen in Indian custody.

Amaraweera said the Indian fishermen were requesting for three more years to fish in Sri Lankan territorial waters, a practice that flourished during the island's years of conflict when severe restrictions were placed on fishing activities in the North. "This request has been rejected," he said.

Co-cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said both governments have agreed to discuss the issue with fishermen and their federations. "However, engaging with Tamil Nadu is a futile exercise," Senaratne said.

He added that a decision has been taken to increase the penalty to five times the value of fish caught by unauthorised vessels, as a deterrent. "Due to an existing bilateral agreement and a good neighbourhood policy, we have so far not imposed this penalty or complained to the European Union on this maritime dispute," he pointed out.