Sri Lanka releases all 54 Indian fishermen arrested this week
PTI, Mar 27, 2021, 12:33 PM IST
Colombo: Sri Lanka has released all 54 Indian fishermen arrested this week for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, Indian officials confirmed on Saturday.
The Indian official sources here said that 40 of them were released on Friday and the remaining 14 have been released this morning.
The 54 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on March 24 at two different locations in the north and northeastern seas.
The Navy also seized their five trawlers.
Upon their arrest, the Indian High Commission here said that they were providing consular assistance to the arrested fishermen.
It said the fishermen’s issue needed to be treated in a humanitarian manner. The Indian High Commission in a statement said the bilateral mechanisms were being utilized to see an expeditious settlement of the issue.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters. The fishermen issue has become a major irritant in bilateral ties.
In January, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka, he met with Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda and raised the fishermen’s issue, and reviewed bilateral cooperation in fisheries.
“We look forward to the early return of our fishermen from Sri Lanka,” Jaishankar had said.
Later, a three-member committee was appointed by the Sri Lankan government which will make recommendations on measures to stop poaching by Indian fishermen inside the country’s waters after four people were killed when an Indian trawler capsized after colliding with a Sri Lankan Navy vessel.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Internal divisions leave open question whether Gandhi’s vision will ever be fully realised in India: Bill Clinton
COP29: India rejects new USD 300 billion climate finance deal
Royal tour of India in offing for King Charles, Queen Camilla: Report
Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India
COP29: Civil society protests climate finance proposal, calls for ‘no deal’ over ‘bad deal’
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Geethartha Chinthane 105: Shoka and Dukha are not same
Boy chokes to death after eating more than three pooris together
Internal divisions leave open question whether Gandhi’s vision will ever be fully realised in India: Bill Clinton
PWD, Google Maps officials booked in Bareilly bridge death case
WhatsApp, Gmail banned from use for transmission of official documents in Jammu and Kashmir
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.