Sri Lanka repatriates 30 Indian fishermen; 14 sent back in March

30 Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission confirmed. This follows the return of 14 others in March. A Sri Lankan MP described the recurring issue as a complex economic problem, not just a legal one.

Fishermen Repatriated

30 Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka on Tuesday and are on their way home, the Indian High Commission to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday. Sharing the details in a post on X, the High Commission also posted the picture of the fishermen. https://x.com/IndiainSL/status/2041343054041461160?s=20

Earlier in March, 14 detained Indian fishermen from Sri Lanka were repatriated. https://x.com/IndiainSL/status/2032401940131586411?s=20

A 'Perennial and Complicated' Issue

Previously, Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva told ANI that the issue of Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka is a perennial issue and will not go away soon, because both sides depend on fishing for a living. "This is a perennial issue, you know it's not going away because I think on both sides of the straits, you know, folks are depending on fish for their living. These are not, you know, big corporates these are small fishermen, and when the Indian trawlers come, and you can see the satellite images, you know, they do not come in dozens but rather in hundreds, and they go back, so the issue, I think, is a complicated one. You can't just say this is the line so you stay here, and you know somehow stay on this," he said.

Silva then said that it is more of a legal issue than a political. "Yes, every foreign minister and deputy foreign minister worked on this. It is about bottom trawling and whether bottom trawling is a traditional fishing method, and you know, does it destroy the seabed? But as I said, I think the solution is economics-related, not legal," he said.

Recent Arrests and Ongoing Tensions

On February 22, 12 fishermen along with one boat from Pamban were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing in the Gulf of Mannar between Dhanushkodi and Thalaimannar. The Sri Lankan Navy seized a boat belonging to a fisherman identified as David from Pamban.The incident triggered unrest among fishermen in Pamban, with more than a hundred boats from the Pamban South Wadi Fishing Port having ventured into the sea at the time of the apprehension.

The issue of frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities has remained a longstanding concern between the two countries, particularly affecting fishing communities in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)

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