(COLOMBO) – The Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday night rounded up 21 Indian fishermen along with four vessels bringing the total number of Indian poachers arrested for this year to 195, a senior naval official said on Thursday.
The group on Wednesday was taken into custody during a special operation by the Sri Lankan Navy in the island-nation’s northern waters.
The Indian poachers are mainly from the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu and their illegal activity has remained a festering diplomatic issue for both Colombo and Delhi and despite several rounds of talks between both sides over the years the Indians however, just keeping coming back, he said.
The official also blamed the Indian poachers for unlawful and irregular fishing methods such as bottom trawling where they scoop up marine life from the sea bed.
“When this happens the future marine life is destroyed as it is the prevailing case on the Indian side of the sea where bottom trawling continued for many decades unchecked and apparently encouraged by regional politicians in Tamil Nadu.
With a barren sea bed on their side the Indians have switched their attention to Sri Lankan waters much to the annoyance of the local fishing community who are deprived of their rightful livelihood”, the official said.
In the past there have been clashes on the high seas between fishermen from both countries where the navy had been forced to intervene, he added.
The arrested Indian poachers are subsequently handed over to the relevant authorities for follow up action.
On most occasions however they are freed with their boats after a short stint in remand prison and handed over to Indian officials at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), he said.
