SL to initiate talks with India on fishermen issue

Sri Lanka claims that Indian authorities had arrested 996 Sri Lankan fishermen during 2009 and 87 of them are still in custody.

Sri Lanka has said it would initiate a dialogue with India on problems confronting fishermen,who often inadvertently cross into each other’s territorial waters.

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senarathna said in Parliament that he will visit India and discuss the matter with his counterpart there. He,however,did not give a time-frame.

Besides,he said a monitoring system would be introduced by Sri Lankan authorities to alert fishermen when they stray beyond the island’s territorial waters.

“This will be done with the assistance from Japan. When this system is in place,fishermen will be alerted through signals. And if they stray beyond our territorial waters,they will do it knowingly then,” he said.

Senarathna also charged Indian authorities with not properly observing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea while arresting its fishermen.

He said that there was no provision in the Law to arrest or punish fishermen straying into foreign territorial waters and that such persons should be released immediately on a bond or security.

The minister claimed that Indian authorities had arrested 996 Sri Lankan fishermen during 2009 and 87 of them were still in custody.

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“We have now secured the release of 31 of them and …sent air tickets to bring them home,” the Minister said.

Explaining the arrangements for the release of Sri Lankan fishermen in Tamil Nadu,Senarathna said such things are usually worked out within a month with the cooperation of the State Fisheries Minister and the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner.

However,he said there was a delay of about eight months in the process in other states of India such as Orissa,Kerala and Andhra Pradesh,the Daily Mirror reported.

“The situation is even worse in the islands of Nicobar and Andaman. These islands belong to the central government of India. There is a red tape in the process,which we have to face,” the Minister was quoted as saying.