Fisherfolk associations in the North-East have rejected claims made by Indian authorities that the Sri Lankan Navy is looting GPS tracking devices from Indian fishing trawlers.
N.V. Kuppakamniyam, the head of the Northern Province Seafood Association told reporters in Jaffna that Indian authorities have painted them out to be akin to pirates, which is unfounded.
“India and Sri Lanka are sovereign nations. Neither the Sri Lankan Navy nor the Indian Navy can cross a maritime boundary line and engage in such activities,” he said. “To make such accusations that the GPS devices are looted is false.”
He went on to say that the Sri Lankan Navy only apprehends Indian fishermen who trespass in Sri Lankan waters. “Most of them are chased away. If the Navy arrested two boats a day, that is a significant number for a month, but most are not arrested and the boats are not seized, they are chased away.”
Especially India and Sri Lanka are sovereign countries. In that way, the Indian Navy, or the Sri Lankan Navy will not and cannot cross the border. “It is the Indian fishermen who are crossing over to our borders, engaging in illegal methods of fishing and looting our aquatic resources,” he said. “It is the livelihood of the Tamils that is being taken away. In our history, no Tamil fishermen have crossed over to India for such activities.”
He challenged the Indians to attempt fishing close to Pakistan or other neighboring countries to understand the complexities this poses. Meanwhile, in India, the fishermen's association in Pamban has announced an indefinite strike from Sunday, August 11, demanding that the central government immediately secure the release of all 35 fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka on poaching charges.
The association President S.P. Rayappan, was quoted in The Hindu, stating that he along with a delegation were in New Delhi to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other leaders over this matter. They stated that even after the Centre strongly protested with its Sri Lankan counterpart over the arrest and sought the release of the fishermen, the fresh incident had created disappointment and unrest among the fisherfolk.
The fishermen issue has been a bone of contention between India and Sri Lanka. For the most part, Sri Lankan authorities have maintained radio silence on the issue fearing that any discussions may dampen its diplomatic ties. Tamil Eelam fishermen and their livelihoods have been gravely impacted by the illegal fishing of Indian fishermen. To date, 80 fishermen and 173 fishing boats detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.
