SLN arrests Indian poachers in northern sea

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 August 2004, 19:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Thursday evening took into custody four Indian trawlers poaching in the Sri Lankan northern territorial waters with 21 Indian fishermen and four boatmen and handed them to Kankesanthurai (KKS) Police. The SLN carried out this operation on receipt of information from the members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna, TamilNet sources in the northern town said.

The Mallakam Magistrate Ms.Sarojini Ilangovan Friday ordered remand till August 20 for the four Indian boatmen and directed the civil authorities to hand over the 21 fishermen to the Indian navy when these fishermen and boatmen were produced in court by KKS police, legal sources said.

SLMM monitors in Jaffna Thursday morning visited the coastal area in Vadamarachchi division on the invitation of fisheries societies' representatives to see Indian trawlers poaching in the northern waters. SLMM monitors then videoed Indian trawlers poaching in the Sri Lankan territorial waters. Later the monitors informed the SLA personnel located in KKS navy detachment, TamilNet sources said.

Thereafter the SLN crafts rushed to the scene and arrested 25 Indians and took four trawlers into custody. Indian trawlers are in the custody of SLN on the orders of the Mallakam Magistrate, the sources said.