This year, some 240 Indian fishermen, along with 35 trawlers, have been arrested for illegal fishing.
Illegal Fishing on the India-Sri Lanka Border
Earlier on December 6, at least 21 Indian fishermen were similarly arrested with their four trawlers seized in the northeastern waters off Mannar and Kovilan.
The fishermen cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and step into Sri Lankan waters as the fish catch is abundant on the other side. But their Tamil counterparts in Sri Lanka’s northern region say the bottom trawlers used by Indian fishermen scrap the seabed, bringing ecological destruction.
The Ministry of External Affairs maintains that the government attaches the highest priority to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen and that the issue of fishermen has been taken up at the highest level.
“The Sri Lankan government has been requested to treat the fishermen issue as a purely humanitarian and livelihood concern, and it has been stressed that both sides should ensure that there is no use of force under any circumstances,” the ministry had said last year.
What happened this time on the India – Sri Lanka Border ?
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 11 further Indian fishermen for allegedly coddling in the country’s territorial waters, taking the total number of apprehensions this time to 333, according to a sanctioned release.
On Friday, 11 Indian fishermen were arrested, and they seized off the seacoast of Point Pedro in Jaffna in the northern fiefdom, the Sri Lankan Navy said in a press release.
Those restrained were brought to the Kankesanthurai fishing harbor for further action, it said. With this, the number of Indians arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy this time has risen to 333, and their trollers seized to 45, according to the press release .Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar following the arrest of 11 further fishermen.
“I’ve constantly stressed that similar incidents are occurring at an intimidating frequency. In 2024 alone, 324 fishermen and 44 boats were restrained by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishing community in Tamil Nadu continues to face immense rigors due to the intermittent apprehensions, which oppressively affect their means of subsistence, ” he said.
The fishers issue is a contentious bone in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy labor force indeed firing at Indian fishers in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of immorally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters .Fishers from both countries are arrested constantly for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters. India needs to take care because of the already established problems in Indo-pacific.
