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A group of twenty-five Indian fishermen who had entered waters off Kankesanthurai and engaged in fishing activities have been arrested by Sri Lankan naval personnel, as Eelam Tamils complained of a growing number of incursions.
The arrests were made during a special patrol operation conducted on Sunday night by naval personnel attached to Kankesanthurai. During the operation, two fishing boats were detected within the maritime boundary adjoining Kankesanthurai, where the fishermen, including the boat operators, had trespassed and were engaged in fishing.
According to the Sri Lankan navy, the operation took place during the late hours of 15 February and the early hours of 16 February, when naval craft from the Northern Naval Command were deployed after spotting a group of Indian fishing vessels operating within Sri Lankan waters. The navy stated that it seized two boats and apprehended twenty-five Indian fishermen after they continued to engage in fishing activities despite the intervention.
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The apprehended fishermen and their vessels were escorted to shore and handed over to fisheries authorities in Kankesanthurai for further legal proceedings.
The arrests come amid mounting concerns from Eelam Tamil fishermen in the North-East over the growing frequency of Indian fishing incursions, which they say are severely damaging both livelihoods and marine ecosystems.
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N. M. Alam, Secretary of the Northern Province Fisheries Federation, stated that illegal incursions by Indian fishermen have increased following the recent Ditwa cyclone that affected the region. He made the remarks during a media briefing at the Federation’s office in Mannar.
He noted that unlawful entry by Indian fishermen has intensified across a wide stretch of coastal waters, from Mannar through South Bar, Vankalai, Silavathurai and Mullikulam.
“Although we have repeatedly clarified various concerns regarding Indian fishermen to the government, the authorities have failed to take meaningful notice of the matter. We had expected the situation to come under some degree of control after the Ditwa cyclone. However, their incursions have, in fact, increased in its aftermath,” he stated.
He further criticised the Sri Lankan government for what he described as a lack of meaningful intervention to regulate cross-border fishing activity. The Federation has recently submitted formal appeals to the Sri Lankan President and the Minister of Fisheries calling for an end to banned fishing practices in the Northern region, which they say continue to harm local fishing communities.
According to Alam, small-scale fishermen in the Tamil homeland are particularly affected by these practices. Shore-seine fishing operations have also been disrupted, while the marine environment has suffered from the use of prohibited methods.
