SLNavy nets 20 Indian fishermen, 2 trawlers poaching in SL waters

Twenty Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, along with 2 fishing trawlers, were apprehended by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on Friday night (1).

"The arrests were made north of Kovilan Point and Point Pedro by 2 SLN Fast Attack Craft attached to Northern Naval Command," the SLN stated.

One of the seized trawlers was brought to the Naval base SLNS Elara in Karainagar, while the other trawler and the fishermen were detained at SLNS Uttara in Kankesanthurai. The apprehended fishermen were subsequently handed ove r to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna, for Legal action.

Meanwhile, the proposed International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) meeting between the Navies of Sri Lanka and India was postponed this week due to bad weather, said a senior SLN officer.

SLN Spokesman Commander Dinesh Bandara told the Sunday Times that talks were scheduled to be held on-board an Indian vessel near the IMBL border on Nov.28, but were cancelled at the last minute, as bad weather prevailed in the coastal area.

"Our delegation had to return from midway near the IMBL, as weather conditions worsened. We are hoping to fix a date for talks early next month," he said.

The Navy- to Navy talks on- board such vessels take place twice a year, to enhance operational effectiveness through common understanding of the Navies and Coastguards on maritime security in the region, by integration of forces through co- operation, coordination and collaboration.

The ongoing illegal poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka's territorial waters was also one of the topics to be discussed in the talks. Another issue to be discussed was the possibility of joint patrols by the two countries’ Coastguards, along the Palk Strait, to prevent vessels trespassing into each others waters.