Fishermen complain of harassment by SL Navy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 2004, 16:50 GMT]
Vadamaradchi fishermen have made complaints to the Jaffna regional officials of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka that the Sri Lanka Navy has prevented them from fishing in the northern sea. " We are being chased away by the navy personnel when we venture out for fishing in the northern sea since Saturday,' fishermen said in their complaints to the HRCSL, fisheries sources said.

Meanwhile, the Jaffna command of the Sri Lanka Navy in its response to the HRCSL denied its involvement that a gunboat of the SLN had rammed a plastic fishing boat, which resulted in the killing of a fisherman of Point Pedro and injuring two others, human right sources said.

However, the HRCSL has commenced inquiry into the complaint against the SLN and recorded the statements of the two fishermen who escaped with injuries. HRCSL officials visited the relatives of the deceased fishermen and recorded their statements also. Fishermen of Point Pedro Munai told the HRCSL officials who visited the place that SLN soldiers are preventing them from fishing in the northern sea, sources said.