Tamil fishermen in Vadamaradchi East alleged that hundreds of Sinhalese fishermen from the south have been allowed by the Sri Lankan military to fish in restricted areas, as tensions between the groups heighten.
The Sinhalese fishermen have also been cutting the nets of the Tamil fishermen, they said at a meeting at the Divisional Secretariat in Marudhankeni earlier this month. Some 700 boats belonging to the Sinhalese can now be seen along the Vadamaradchi East coastal region they added. With Sri Lankan military assistance, the fishermen have been in waters that remains off limits to the Tamil fishermen they claimed, and have been able to do so without permits.
With the military watching over the Sinhalese fishermen, the Tamils are left unable to challenge their activities they added.