Sri Lanka back to 'fishing' Indian fishermen

New Delhi, Feb 16: With Indian fishermen increasingly venturing into troubled Sri Lankan waters, the Lankan authorities seem to be having quite an adventure with the Indian fishing folk. Today (Feb 16) around 106 fishermen were detained by the Sri Lankan police following allegations that they were "illegally" fishing in Sri Lankan territory.

This problem associated with the Indian fishermen continues to remain prevalent even though a number of fishermen have been killed by Lankan authorities and also after the issue has been raised in the diplomatic circles. The present episode happened when Sri Lankan fishermen intercepted Indian fishermen off the coast of Point Pedro in the north. The sources revealed that they the fishermen were handed over to the police.

Indian consul general Mahalingam rushed to meet the detained fishermen after receiving orders from Foreign Minister SM Krishna. The imprisoned fishermen will be produced in a court today (Feb 16). According to reports from Indian consulate officials in Jaffna, around 112 fishermen are being held along with 18 trawlers. The Indian High Commission is pursuing the case in order to secure the release of the detained fishermen and is also in discussion with Lankan Attorney General, Mohan Peires.

With most the victimised fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK government is not intending to take the case lightly. The DMK announced in its official press release that that it will stage a demonstration at the Sri Lankan consulate in Chennai and at various ports all across Tamil Nadu in order to protest against the ''abduction'' of the fishermen and will also ask that immediate steps be taken to release them.

OneIndia News