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India strongly objects to Sri Lankan PM "shooting" statement

Xinhua, March 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

India has expressed its strong objections to the statement made by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe justifying the firing on Indian fishermen intruding into the country's waters, local media reported on Tuesday.

Making a statement after the issue was raised in the Indian parliament, External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj, who met with the prime minister during her two-day visit to the island nation last week, has said that she had taken it up with Wickremesinghe.

Swaraj has said she was in Sri Lanka when she read the transcript of the interview in which Wickremesinghe had justified the firing on Indian fishermen intruding into Sri Lankan waters.

Sri Lankan prime minister said Friday that the Indian fishermen were taking away the livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen and the law allows the security forces to shoot an intruder "breaking into a man's home."

"My meeting was fixed with Wickremesinghe, so I raised the issue strongly with him," the Indian minister said.

Swaraj has told Wickremesinghe that the Indian fishermen released from Sri Lankan prisons in January -- after a new government took office in Colombo -- went through the whole legal procedure, website Colombo Page reported.

The Indian minister said she had reminded Wickremasinghe that Indian Coast Guard recently arrested 19 Sri Lankan fishermen, but "we gave orders to release them."

"I said that if we justify firing, we will keep firing at each other," she added.

Sushma Swaraj said India wants a "permanent solution" to the dragging dispute involving fishermen from both countries who often enter the waters of each other's country for fishing.

Both sides have arrested hundreds of fishermen before releasing them. Sri Lanka and India are attempting to jump-start talks to find a permanent solution. Endi