A group of fishermen from Sri Lanka and India clashed in Sri Lankan waters in the early hours of Sunday, a navy spokesman said.
The clash had occurred along the International Maritime Boundary which divides both countries, in the northwestern seas of Mannar, said Sri Lankan navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya.
Warnakulasuriya told Xinhua that they had received information about the clash and had sent a navy boat to make inquiries and defuse the situation.
However he said that when the boat was on its way, the navy was informed that the situation was brought under control and so he was unable to provide information on the number of Indian fishermen involved in the clash with their Sri Lankan counterparts.
Since there was no direct navy involvement, I cannot give any details, Warnakulasuriya said.
Several clashes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have been reported in the past year alone with Sri Lanka continuously accusing Indian fishermen of poaching by crossing into their territory near Katchatheevu, known for its rich fish wealth.
Katchatheevu is an islet ceded by India to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.
Due to the increasing number of incidents, India and Sri Lanka are close to clinching an agreement on drawing a fishing boundary in the Palk Strait that would put an end to recurring attacks.
India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid recently held several rounds of talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart as both governments wanted to put an end to the continuing mid-sea attacks on the fishermen.
2013 NZweek