Sri Lanka Navy arrests 17 Indian fishermen

Colombo, Jun 22: At least 17 Indian fishermen were arrested today by Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly poaching in the country's territorial waters.

The Navy seized two trawlers and arrested the fishermen at around 2 pm (local time) in east of Jaffna's Nagarkovil coast.

The two steel hull trawlers were carrying eight and nine fishermen respectively, the Navy said. Meanwhile, a report from Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu said that four fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters this morning.

Another five fishermen sustained injuries after the Navy personnel detained and beaten them up last night for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. The arrest came amid Sri Lanka's announcement last week that some 142 Indian fishing boats would be released in phases.

PTI