Sri Lankan navy detains eight TN fishermen

MADURAI: The Sri Lankan navy detained eight Tamil Nadu fishermen and their fishing trawler on Monday night on charges of poaching in the territorial waters of the island nation.

The trawler was one among the 450 fishing boats which sailed from Rameswaram for fishing on Monday morning.

While these trawlers were fishing in the Palk Strait, the Sri Lankan navy detained a fishing trawler -- owned by Mariyasia of Rameswaram -- and the eight-member crew hailing from Thangachimadam and Rameswaram.

According to the Sri Lankan navy, the North Central Naval Command spotted a cluster of Indian fishing trawlers involved in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters. An inshore patrol craft was deployed to chase away the Indian fishing trawlers poaching north of Mannar. The operation resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing trawler and the detention of eight Indian fishermen who continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters, according to the Sri Lankan navy website.

The seized trawler and eight fishermen were handed over to the Talaimannar fisheries inspector for onward legal proceedings.

With this, the Lankan navy has so far this year seized 46 Indian trawlers and 341 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

Meanwhile, fisheries officials in Rameswaram learned that another fishing trawler, an unregistered one with the four-member crew, capsized in the Indian waters. The side plank of the fishing trawler was damaged resulting in the hull breach, eventually sinking her.

Out of the four-member crew, identified as Dalvinraj, 45, Emerit, 49, Muniyandi, 55 and Suresh, 49, two managed to swim to Katchatheevu. The Sri Lankan coast guard team took custody of them.

Fisheries officials said the fate of two fishermen remained unknown. They alerted the Indian Navy Station, Parunthu, and Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai to take out search and rescue operations.

Trichy MP Durai Vaiko and national chairman of the All India Fishermen Congress Armstrong Fernando condemned the arrest of eight fishermen and demanded that the Union government secure the release of the fishermen and their trawlers.