News
Relatives of fishermen arrested in Myanmar call for justice
View(s):The relatives of Sri Lankan fishermen who were arrested and detained in Myanmar have urged the government to take steps to ensure the fishermen’s immediate release.
A group of seven fishermen who set sail from the Trincomalee harbour on November 15 last year were arrested on November 29 by the Myanmar Navy.
The detained fishermen
They have been detained for around two months, and the Government has failed to take any steps to rescue them, the relatives claim.
Six arrested fishermen were residents of the Wellakele area in the Mahawewa Divisional Secretariat and one was from Trincomalee.
The seven fishermen are Krishan Chathuranga Fernando, Sampath Kumara, Lakmal Prasanna, Sarath Kumarasirim, Napoleon Ananda, Alexi Roshan and Dinushan Chathuranga.
The battery of the multi-day trawler exploded fourteen days after leaving Trincomalee harbour causing the trawler to float and enter Myanmar waters.
The crew had contacted their families around two days after their detention, but their families said they had not been given much information.
According to the family members, the fishermen were being held in a Myanmar prison and a Myanmar lawyer was appearing for them.
They said the intervention of the Sri Lankan authorities was not sufficient, while the owner of the multi-day trawler was currently spending money for the lawyer.
“My husband has been a fisherman for many years. But now it has been two months since he was arrested. We are in trouble. We also went to the Fisheries Ministry and told them about this. However we have not received any justice,” said W. Shiromi Malkanthi.
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara
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