Sri Lanka's Fisheries Minister, Mahinda Amaraweera on Saturday rejected concerns raised by Tamil Nadu's chief minister of the island's new fishing law.
"The new laws were passed in Parliament for the benefit of Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry," Mr Amaraweera was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying. “We have to look after our interests and we cannot be too concerned about fishermen of other countries.”
On Friday the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappdi K Palaniswami, wrote to the Indian premier, Narenda Modi, expressing his concern about Sri Lanka's new fishing legislation which bans bottom trawling.
Describing the legislation, which was adopted on Thursday, as a “harsh step to undermine the diplomatic efforts”, Mr Palaniswami said it was “aimed at preventing our fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the fishing waters."
His letter is the latest in a long series of letters from chief ministers of Tamil Nadu to Delhi on the issue of fishing and the arrests of fishermen by Sri Lankan navy personnel.
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