18 Indian fishermen from TN arrested by Sri Lankan Navy return home

CHENNAI: As many as 18 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy recently returned home on Tuesday.

They arrived here from Colombo by air and were received by officials of the Tamil Nadu fisheries department and some BJP functionaries.

The fishermen were arrested by the Lankan Navy last month for alleged maritime violations and lodged in a prison there.

A local court ordered their release earlier this month, after which they were kept in a camp there, officials said.

The fishermen left for Ramanathapuram by road in a state government-arranged vehicle.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. There have been periodic instances of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

In 2023, Sri Lankan Navy arrested 240 Indian fishermen along with 35 trawlers for allegedly poaching in its waters.