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No response yet from Diego Garcia magistrate
There has been no response yet from the Diego Garcia Magistrate with regard to the release of the nine Sri Lankan fishermen being detained there or the reduction of the fine of £6000 (SLR 1.11 million) imposed by the magistrate.

With the 30-day time period given in which to pay up the fine lapsing on September 29, the families of the nine fishermen and the boat owner (also having been tsunami victims) are in no position to meet such a large fine.
“We are just getting back on our feet after the tsunami, so there’s no way we can find more than a million rupees to pay off this fine,” L.P. Lal Rohita, the owner of the boat said.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in London too has intervened on behalf of this matter with the relevant authorities there, said Director General of Consular Affairs at the Foreign Ministry I. Ansar.

“We are expecting a favourable response from the Diego Garcia Magistrate on humanitarian grounds, as the families and the boat owner, are in desperate straits and have no means whatsoever to pay off such a fine” he said.
However, if the magistrate doesn’t reconsider his decision and the families are unable to meet the fine by the due date, the boat and all the equipment will be confiscated by the magistrate, said British High Commission Spokesperson John Culley.

The nine detainees should be released eventually, although the exact procedure with regards to their release is yet unsure, he said. The fishermen charged for fishing without a licence and unlawfully importing cannabis into the British Indian Ocean Territory and having admitted their guilt are currently serving a six-week custodial sentence which commenced on the date of their arrival at Diego Garcia, August 17

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