Off the wire
• Spotlight: Obama's visit falls short of expectations of average Cubans  • Premier Li calls for more innovation in Asia  • Tokyo stocks lose ground amid oil price drop  • Roundup: S.Korean president orders military to strengthen readiness amid tensions with DPRK  • Chinese Premier urges efforts to conclude RCEP talks this year  • 2nd LD Writethru: UN Security Council hails announcement of end to hostilities in Yemen  • Cambodia's anti-corruption agency to investigate deputy opposition leader for alleged corruption  • China's ENN to become largest shareholder of Australian energy company Santos  • S. Korea takes seriously DPRK's claim of having successful tested solid-fuel rocket  • Roundup: Rousseff hails supreme court's ruling against phone taps of ex-president  
You are here: 　 Home

Sri Lankan navy arrests 3 Indian fishermen

Xinhua, March 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Sri Lankan Navy said the Sri Lanka Coast Guard arrested three Indian fishermen on Thursday for illegal poaching in the island's waters.

The fishermen along with one Indian fishing trawler were taken into custody in North-West of Delft Island, in Sri Lanka's north.

The navy said the arrested fishermen were handed over to the officials of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Jaffna.

Sri Lanka and India have been trying to resolve the long standing fishermen issue with fishermen from both sides having to face arrest and boats being detained when they stray into each other's waters illegally.

Last month, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was in Colombo to attend the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, held discussions with her Sri Lankan counterpart over the issue and both countries accepted to find a long lasting solution.

Indian media reports recently quoted Swaraj as saying that a meeting of ministers dealing with fisheries from India and Sri Lanka will be convened in May to evolve a mechanism to resolve the lingering issue.

The Indian minister also said her government will enforce installation of GPS systems on fishing boats to steer them clear of maritime boundaries. Endit