Colombo, Dec 2 (newsin.asia) – The Sri Lanka Navy, on Saturday arrested 20 Indian fishermen for poaching illegally in the island’s territorial waters in the north, the navy media unit said in a statement.
The fishermen, along with their two fishing trawlers were taken into custody from north of Kovilan Point and Point Pedro.
The apprehended fishermen were subsequently handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna for onward legal action, the navy said.
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Those arrested were from India’s southern Tamil Nadu state.
The Sri Lankan government has repeatedly warned that Indian fishermen trespassing into Sri Lankan waters to fish illegally will continue to be arrested and their boats will be taken into custody.
Sri Lanka and Indian fishermen often face arrests when they enter each other’s territorial waters illegally with both countries attempting to find a lasting solution to the Indo-Lanka fishing dispute.