SLN arrests 5 Tamil Nadu fishermen in Nedunththeevu seas

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 April 2008, 01:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) arrested five fishermen from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu Saturday around 2:00 p.m Sunday when they were fishing in the seas between Nedunththeevu (Delft) and Kachchaitheevu. SLN handed over the fishermen to Nedunththeevu police who produced them before Kayts magistrate Ms. Joy Mahatheva Sunday.

The magistrate ordered the fishermen to be placed in Jaffna remand prison until 16 April.

The boat of the fishermen confiscated by Kayts SLN remains in the possession of the SLN.

Incidents of Tamil Nadu fishermen being shot and killed or arrested on the seas between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka have escalated recently causing protests and strong condemnation by the fishermen and other organizations in Tamil Nadu.

Sixty two Indian fishermen were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy 8 March when they strayed into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka near Thalaivillu Sea in the western coast.

The fishermen were later handed over to the Katpiddi police, private electronic media reported in the night news broadcast quoting Sri Lanka Navy sources.