(COLOMBO) – A total of 13 Indian fishermen were released from Sri Lankan detention on Tuesday bringing the number to 34 inside a period of five days following diplomatic efforts made by both Colombo and Delhi, according to local media reports on Wednesday.
The Indian fishermen had been nabbed by the Sri Lankan navy for alleged poaching in the country’s territorial waters over a period of time.
The released fishermen were handed over to the Indian Coastguard at the International Maritime Boundary by the Sri Lankan navy.
The repatriation of Indian poachers has been a long running issue and the Sri Lankan Navy is hapless to prevent it owing to the diplomatic pressure mainly from the Indian side.
“We round up them in their dozens along with their boats on a regular basis but only to see them released a few days later”, says one senior Sri Lankan navy officer who did not wished to be named.
Indian poachers are known to venture into the country’s territorial waters in their hundreds each day which is rich in marine life and in the process they dwarf the livelihood of the local fish workers, the official who is not mandated to speak with the media said.
For the past year alone an estimated 33 Indian trawlers and 220 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said.
“Those currently detained at present will also most likely to be released shortly’,he said without elaborating.
The Indo-Lanka fishing problem has remained a festering diplomatic issue for both countries and despite several rounds of discussions at the very highest level the matter remains unresolved to date.
