The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that a sailor had “succumbed to his injuries,” after the security forces launched an operation that ended with the arrest of 10 Indian fishermen and the seizure of a trawler in Jaffna earlier today.
Official reports from the navy state that the 10 fishermen were apprehended Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.
The navy went on to confirm that “a sailor from the Navy Special Boat Squadron sustained critical injuries,” claiming that it was “due to the aggressive maneuvers of an Indian trawler, resisting its seizure (sic)”.
“Unfortunately, the sailor succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the Teaching Hospital in Jaffna,” the navy said.
In recent years, fishermen from the North-East have spoken of Indian trawlers encroaching on their fishing grounds in larger boats which are known to damage the seabed and are capable of carrying a larger catch, often exhausting the fishing reserves thus making it harder for Eelam Tamil fishermen obtain a sizeable catch.
In March 2022, Eelam Tamil fishermen wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M K Stalin, seeking a “progressive” solution affecting the two Tamil fisherman communities on either side of the Palk Strait.
