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.
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