(COLOMBO) – Fishermen associations in India’s southern coastal Ramanathapuram district have launched an indefinite strike with immediate effect in protest over the arrests of Indian poachers by the Sri Lanka Navy, media reported on Saturday.
The associations claim that the fishermen had been arrested under ‘false charges’.
On Friday the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 32 alleged Indian Poachers and took into custody five trawlers after they were found fishing in the island-nation’s territorial waters.
The 32 fishermen were remanded in judicial custody while the five trawlers were impounded by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The associations also blamed Delhi for failing to act by not seeking the release of the fishermen. They believe that the Sri Lankan Government would have positively responded and obliged if the Indian PM had made a request.
However this has not been the case, the associations said.
A spokesman for the Sri Lankan navy told The Morning Telegraph that they will not stop their operations against the Indian poachers’ protests or otherwise and towards this end they are being encouraged by the local Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda.
Devananda has repeatedly called on the navy to crackdown on the poachers saying their illegal activities were destroying the livelihoods of the local fishing community.
Devananda is also seeking to set up a special ‘Sea Guard’ unit made up of local fishermen to assist the navy against the poachers.
Some 178 Indian fishermen have been arrested for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters and 23 boats have been apprehended from the start of this year, according to the navy spokesperson.
