'No short-term solution to fishermen issue with India'

Colombo, Dec 10: Sri Lanka's navy chief has said the only way to resolve the fishermen issue with India is to work through diplomatic channels, asserting that there is no short-term solution to the problem.

"This is not a problem that navy can solve on their own. This is a matter which needs to be resolved at diplomatic levels between the two countries," Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake said in the central town of Kandy yesterday.

"This cannot happen within a day or two. The problem can only have a long-term solution," Dissanayake said. Fishermen of two countries often stray into each other's waters breaching international maritime boundary limits, leading to their arrests that warrant diplomatic intervention. There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two nations on the issue since early this year.

PTI