Eight fishermen held by Sri Lankan Navy near Katchatheevu

Their mechanised boat was seized; fishermen’s associations condemn the arrests

Eight fishermen from Thangachimadam near Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Katchatheevu island in the early hours of Sunday, on charges of poaching in international waters. Their mechanised boat was seized by the authorities.

On Saturday, around 540 fishermen from Rameswaram ventured into the sea. As they were about to return on Sunday evening, eight of them were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

The arrested persons were Ramesh, 40, Rodick, 19, Ajit, 19, Columbus, 52, Iman, 22, Linson, 23, Pavoothi, 19, and Israel, 20. The boat was said be owned by Ramesh.

Fishermen’s associations in the coastal district strongly condemned the incident and demanded the immediate release of the arrested fishermen. In the last 26 days, 81 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Karaikal have been arrested for poaching. “This is unacceptable and an anti-fishermen act by the Sri Lankan Navy,” said Sesu Raja, a fishermen leader in Rameswaram.

The seized boats have not been released by the Sri Lankan government. Bose, another fishermen leader, said Sri Lanka had no right to auction them. He urged the Centre and the State government to take tangible steps to ensure the safety of fishermen.

At a time when fishermen were unable to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the price of diesel was high, such frequent arrests by the Sri Lankan authorities may force them to stop fishing. “The fishermen are neglected by those in power on our own soil. When the government here has claimed that Sri Lanka is a friendly nation, such arrests and humiliation are baffling to us,” Mr. Bose said.

According to a Fisheries Department official, the eight arrested fishermen were being taken to a special camp in Sri Lanka, and were likely to be produced before a court.