Lankan navy arrests 8 TN fishermen

Eight fishermen from Thangachimadam near Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Katchatheevu island last week on charges of poaching in international waters. Their mechanised boat was seized by the authorities. Around 540 fishermen from Rameswaram ventured into the sea. As they were about to return, eight of them were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). 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.