Vadamarachchi fishermen flee threats

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 August 2002, 00:00 GMT]
Indian fishermen Wednesday chased away large numbers of fishermen from Vadamarachchi in Jaffna who had been engaged in fishing in Sri Lankan territorial waters in about two hundred fifty boats.

"Indian fishermen had threatened the Vadamarachchi fishermen with swords and other weapons and warned them to leave the sea. Fearful, [the Vadamarachchi] fishermen returned immediately without any catch," sources in Vadamarachchi said.

Indian fishermen who use trawlers to fish in Sri Lankan waters often slash nets cast by Vadamarachchi fishermen and destroy their fishing gear, the sources said.

On Wednesday Vadamarachchi fishermen who had gone to the sea in several boats had approached Indian fishermen who had been fishing in trawlers and requested them not to harass them any more.

When Vadamarachchi fishermen were appealing to them about their pathetic situation, some Indians in trawlers had started to abuse Jaffna fishermen and threatened them with swords and other weapons, fisheries sources said.