He said Indian fishermen continue to blatantly violate its terms by breaching the maritime boundaries time and again and causing considerable damage to Sri Lanka’s marine resources. The Minister on Saturday visited the 56 Indian fishermen detained at the Jaffna Prison for trespassing on Sri Lankan waters. The minister held talks with the Indian fishermen and also provided them with goods. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Minister Devananda said that the Tamil Nadu Government should pay attention to the damage being done to the marine resources and Sri Lanka by the Indian fishermen’s invasion of the Northern Sea. “Our people demand an immediate end to the trawling industry that is destroying Sri Lanka’s marine resources and the livelihoods of our people. Indian fishermen should also understand this. The depletion of marine resources is also destroying the livelihoods of the Indian fishermen themselves”. “I am aware that Indian fishermen are also engaged in this business for their livelihood.
However, the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries states that the two countries’ fishermen can only engage in fishing in their territorial waters without violating the International Maritime Boundary Line in a manner that does not cause any harm to either country”. Minister Devananda went on to say that to resolve the issue of Indian fishermen invading the Northern seas, which has become a major issue, political and fisheries representatives of both countries should immediately meet and reconsider the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries and take appropriate decisions. Meanwhile, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary and Member of Parliament, Vaiko, said that the fishermen from Tamil Nadu are jailed by Sri Lankan authorities on flimsy charges and called upon the Government of India to take the issue at the diplomatic level to find a solution at the earliest.
The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., 1995–2022.