Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development stated the government would not allow any Indian fishermen into their waters, even for short periods of time.
Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunarathne dismissed the notion of allowing Indian fishermen permission to enter Sri Lankan waters saying,
“We cannot agree to let Indian fishermen fish in Sri Lankan waters even for a day.”
His comments come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting in Delhi to discuss the issue of repeated arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. Frequent attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has led to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa writing several letters to the Prime Minister, expressing her concern and calling for a “strong and robust" response to the arrests, whilst protests against the arrests have taken place in Tamil Nadu.
Gunarathne though said that Indian fishermen should not be allowed “to steal our resources” and said the Indian government was aware of the Sri Lankan position.
Commenting on an upcoming meeting between the two countries to discuss the issue, he added, “We do not have new proposals. We have had many discussions with the former Indian government regarding fishermen’s issue and they are very well aware of our stance.”