HRC attends problems of Thenmaradchchi fishermen

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 July 2004, 17:11 GMT]
The Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Monday invited the Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army Major General Susil Chandrapala for a discussion on the problems confronted by fishermen of Kohilakandy in Thenamaradchchi south division in Jaffna district, fisheries societies sources said.

Date for the discussion will be fixed once the SLA acknowledged the invitation, the sources said.

Kohilakandy fishermen for the last four years have been undergoing immense difficulties in running their day to day lives due to several restrictions imposed by the SLA on them in fishing. These fishermen had lodged several complaints that the soldiers were harassing them in the name of checking their nets and fishing gear. Soldiers had damaged nets during checking, according to a memorandum submitted by the Kohilakandy Fishermen Society to the Human Rights Commission.

HCRSL has now invited Major General Susil Chandrapala for a discussion based on the memorandum of Kohilakandy fishermen. Kohilakandy fisheries society representatives would attend the discussion, the sources said.