Sri Lanka to free Indian fishermen as goodwill gesture

The Sri Lankan government said on Sunday that it has decided to release 16 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture ahead of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to India.

Wickremesinghe is to leave for India on Monday and will meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, among others, during his visit.

The Indian fishermen had been arrested while poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

Fisherman's associations in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu had urged Sri Lanka to release the 16 fishermen.

The Sri Lankan prime minister's office said it decided to release the fishermen in order to ensure the strong friendship between the two countries.

Indian fishermen allegedly continue to poach in the Sri Lankan waters as talks aimed at resolving the issue have so far failed to reach a breakthrough.

Wickremesinghe's upcoming visit to India will be his first overseas one visit since being appointed the prime minister last month.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Minister of International Trade and Investment Malik Samarawickreme denied reports that a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be discussed and signed during the visit.

The signing of the CEPA agreement has remained stalled over the years as both sides had failed to reach a consensus on some issues.

The minister said the new Sri Lankan government will ensure the agreement meet the interests of the Sri Lankan people. Endi