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Another round of talks next Wednesday to stop illegal Indian fishing
An official-level discussion of the Indo-Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries is fixed for Wednesday (Dec 30) to discuss the ongoing illegal bottom trawling by Indian fishermen in Lankan territorial waters, a senior official from the Fisheries Ministry said.
Fisheries Ministry Secretary R M I Rathnayake told the Sunday Times that the virtual talks between the officials of the two countries will focus on steps that need to be taken to resolve the issue between the fisherfolk communities of the two countries.
Leading the Indian delegation would be its Department of Fisheries Secretary.
“The Secretary is expected to address issues relating to fisheries between India and Sri Lanka, including the release of apprehended fishermen and fishing boats, modalities of communication between relevant authorities on the two sides, cooperation in dealing with issues related to the livelihood of the fishing communities on both sides, and other such matters as are mutually agreed upon,” an Indian government spokesperson was quoted by the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, who is currently touring across Northern districts after protests by Northern fishermen’s federations, told a fishermen’s union in Point Pedro to capture Indian fishermen who come close to the coast along with their trawlers, when the fishermen alleged that the Navy turned a blind eye to the poaching by Indian fishermen.
Ahead of the scheduled video conference meeting, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay met Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Fisheries Minister Devananda on Monday to discuss the dispute.
High Commissioner Baglay stressed the need to continue to deal with the matters related to fishermen and their boats in a humanitarian manner, in accordance with the existing understandings, according to a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
“The High Commissioner also highlighted concrete steps taken by both the Government in India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu in addressing all dimensions of the issue, and specifically underlined the Indian Government’s ongoing measures to support and encourage Indian fishermen to practise deep sea fishing,” the statement added.
Last week, Northern fishermen staged protests against Fisheries authorities in their respective districts for failing to take definitive steps against the ongoing illegal bottom trawling by Indian fishermen. Earlier, fishermen’s federations gave an ultimatum to authorities to stop the Indian trawling immediately or they will take the law into their own hands by arresting the poachers mid-sea.
Hours before the protests came the news that the Navy had arrested 36 Indian fishermen, in two separate incidents off Delft Island in Jaffna and Kudiramalai off Mannar along with five trawlers. The arrested fishermen were directed to a two-week quarantine in a Navy camp.
Last Sunday, another four Indian fishermen were taken into Naval custody for engaging in trawling activities near Eluvathivu Island, Jaffna. A trawler was also seized along with the resources. A separate quarantine centre has been set up in Palavodai, Karainagar to shelter the arrested Indian fishermen.
“It is a shame that government authorities failed to resolve this issue for years, forcing us to protest on streets against the Indian fishermen who we consider our brethren,” K Arulnathan, Deputy Chairman of Mullaitivu Fisheries Federation told the Sunday Times, stressing that the ongoing trawling coupled with economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, pose a severe threat to livelihoods.