Off the wire
• Roundup: Bangladesh ranked 107th in global competitiveness index  • Beninese teachers threaten to paralyze schools' reopening  • Interview: China's Xinjiang to play bigger role in promoting regional development: Russian expert  • Feature: Urumqi, a city of diverse cultures, passion, tolerance  • China sees big surplus in H1 current account  • Burkina Faso's ex-coup leader asks officers to surrender weapons  • Urgent: Iranian leader criticizes Saudi "inaction" over injured pilgrims  • Foreign exchange rates in Singapore  • HK to increase minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers by 2.4 pct  • Singapore stocks close 0.11 pct higher  
You are here: 　 Home

Sri Lankan navy detains 7 Indian fishermen

Xinhua, September 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Sri Lankan Navy assisted the Sri Lanka Coast Guard to detain seven Indian fishermen late on Monday for "illegal poaching", the navy said in a statement here on Wednesday.

The fishermen were arrested in the seas north of Baththalangunduwa in Kalpitiya, in the northwestern province of the island nation.

Approximately 500 km of illegal fish catch and three GPSs were also taken into custody during the raid.

The detained fishermen along with the fish catch and the fishing dhow have been handed over to the officials of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Puttalam) for further investigations.

"Sri Lanka's Navy conducts routine patrols and surveillance to ensure the security of the seas surrounding the island-nation," the navy said.

"It also renders assistance to Sri Lanka Coast Guard to prevent illegal activities at sea to protect the marine resources belonging to the country and enable Sri Lankan fishermen to engage in their livelihoods in accordance with the country's maritime laws in a sustainable manner without harming the fishing resources, " the navy said. Endi