Sri Lanka rejects demands by Indian fishermen

The Sri Lankan Government will officially convey to India that Sri Lanka’s fisheries organisations have rejected their Indian counterparts’ demands including access to Lankan territorial waters, a senior Fisheries Department official said yesterday.

He said the decision was taken after a series of consultations among local fisheries associations. Sri Lanka’s position would be conveyed to Indian fisheries associations in Chennai through the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The talks between fisheries associations of the two countries were held on a proposal by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said fisheries associations of the two countries should be allowed to resolve the long standing disputes.

Sri Lanka’s position was reached at a special meeting of the National Fisheries Federations on Friday following a collective decision by the fisher folk leaders in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. They took part in the IndoLanka talks in March.

A final document signed by the participants who took part in the talks said they could not allow the Indian trawlers to fish in Lankan waters as it would affect the livelihoods of Sri Lan- ka’s fisher folk. The document said even though fishing was the only livelihood for the Lankan fisher folk and their income has been reduced significantly due to their limited access to the sea for only three days a week in view of poaching by Indian fishermen.

India’s fishing community leaders had demanded access to Lankan waters for 83 days a year for three years, during which they were hoping to abandon the banned bottom trawling and switch to effective fishing methods.

During this grace period they demanded that they be allowed to fish upto five nautical miles from the Sri Lankan shore.

A four-member delegation representing fisheries organisations in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu met President Maithripala Sirisena this week. He ordered the release of 37 Indian fishermen in custody but a request to release their boats was turned down.

The Point Pedro magistrate released the remanded fishermen who had been arrested by the Navy on April 3 for poaching in Lankan waters.

At present a 45-day fishing ban is in force in Tamil Nadu coastal areas including Nagapattinam and Rameshwaram due to the breeding season. The period ends later this month.