1 week Ago By Gokul R
Representative Image PUDUKOTTAI: The Sri Lankan navy on Saturday detained 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized three trawlers on allegations of trespassing into the territorial waters of the island nation The detained fishermen were identified as S Pradeep, Ranjith, S Prabakaran, A Ajith, T Vishwa, T Anandharaj, T Anandhababu, R Gubendran, Sekar, K Manikandan, I Muthukumar, A Chellathambi, J Selvam, and A Suresh from Pudukottai district. According to the Sri Lankan navy website, the northern naval command deployed swift attack craft of the command and coast guard, which detected unauthorized fishing activities in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island. The operation culminated in the confiscation of three Indian trawlers and the detention of 14 Indian fishermen who persisted in remaining in Sri Lankan waters, as stated on the website.
The Sri Lankan Navy impounded three trawlers along with the Tamil fishermen. They were escorted to the Kankesanthurai harbor, and they will be handed over to the Mailadi fisheries inspector for further legal proceedings, as mentioned on the Sri Lankan Navy website. Local sources said that the 14 fishermen were among hundreds of fishermen who embarked on a fishing expedition in 65 trawlers from the Jegathapattinam fishing harbor in Pudukottai during the early hours of Saturday.
The Sri Lankan Navy stated that they have confiscated a total of 50 Indian trawlers and apprehended 359 Indian fishermen engaging in poaching activities in Sri Lankan waters in 2024, and subsequently handed them over to the authorities for legal proceedings..
