Sri Lankan Navy detains 12 Tamil Nadu fishermen

Rameshwaram, July 5: Sri Lankan Navy has detained 12 fishermen from Rameshwaram along with two boats while they were fishing at Delft Island, early morning on Thursday.

The arrest comes shortly after the island nation proposed a draconian legislation banning fishing in its territorial waters by foreign trawlers.

Earlier on June 20, Eight fishermen from Nagapattinam district were allegedly harassed and chased from mid-sea by Sri Lankan Navy.

The fishermen from Arkkattuthurai near Vedaranyam were reportedly fishing in waters southeast of Kodiyakkarai when they were allegedly intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy who harassed them and chased them back. According to the fishers, they went to sea in two fibreglass boats. Four fishermen, Sakthibalan (20), Sakthidasan (20), Kathiravan (32) and Arun Kumar (20) were in the boat owned by Sasikumar. Another group of fishers, Arumugam (40), Thangavel (35), Suntharam (40) and Vedhaiyan (38) were in Arumugam's boat.