The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 12 Indian fishermen and confiscated their trawlers on Saturday, accusing them of trespassing in the waters of the island nation. The incident occurred near the coast of Karainagar in the northern Jaffna peninsula, with the Navy asserting that the fishermen were taken into custody and their three trawlers were impounded. The detainees were subsequently escorted to the Kankesanthurai harbor for further proceedings, as indicated in an official statement.
The matter of fishermen crossing territorial boundaries has been a source of tension between India and Sri Lanka, with reported incidents of the Lankan Navy resorting to firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their vessels. The Palk Strait, a narrow waterway that separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, serves as a lucrative fishing area for fishermen from both nations. This latest arrest adds to the history of periodic confrontations, where Indian fishermen are accused of illegally entering Sri Lankan waters, leading to their detention by the authorities. In 2023 alone, Sri Lanka’s Navy detained 240 Indian fishermen along with 35 trawlers on charges of poaching in its waters, underscoring the ongoing challenges in managing maritime boundaries and fishing activities in the region.
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