The Sri Lankan Navy reiterated that they would continue to arrest Tamil Nadu fishermen who poach into Sri Lankan waters. “We have not received any instruction from the Sri Lankan government to refrain from arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen who violate maritime laws of Sri Lanka,” Spokesman of Sri Lanka  Navy Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya told ‘ Asian Mirror’. he also chraged that the Tamil Nadu fishermen were using prohibited fishing methods such as double trawling and bottom trawling for their activities. 

When asked whether it would amount to a violation of the agreement between Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen, Warnakulasuriya said it was Indian fishermen poaching into the Sri Lankan fishermen who are violating the agreement.

Meanwhile, India’s Union Minister of State for Prime Minister’s office V Narayansamy asked the Sri Lankan navy to stop arresting Tamil fishermen as this will spoil the smooth progress of talks between the fishermen of the two countries.

At a conference in India, referring to the talks held between the fishermen of India and Sri Lanka in Chennai on January 27, he said that the talks had evolved conducive situation for an amicable solution to the issue. He said the continued arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen will hinder further progress of the talks, which may even result in snapping of the dialogue. The act of the Lankan navy needs to be condemned, he added further.