Northern fishermen protest in Jaffna against Indian poaching

Atleast fifteen fisheries unions in Northern province staged a massive protest in Jaffna today against Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters. The protest was started form the office of fisheries department and ended infron tof the Deputy Indian High Commssion in Jaffna. The fishermen union leaders have handed over a petition to the Government Agent of Jaffna N. Vedhanayagan and  Deputy Indian High Commissioner in Jaffna . Earlier the fishermen in the North decided not to participate in the next round of fishermen level talks with their Indian counterparts on the Palk Strait fishing dispute as the Indian side continues to persist with its demand for a licence to fish in Lankan waters. Jaffna Fishermen’s Association leader Naganathy Ponnambalam told the Sunday Times after a collective meeting of all the fishermen’s associations in the region, that they have decided to show their protest by not attending the next round of talks. [caption id="attachment_84599" align="alignnone" width="300"] The Northern fishermen leaders handed over a petition to Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna N. Vedhanayagan. Pix by N. Lohathayalan[/caption]