The Sri Lankan navy, on Wednesday night, have detained 29 fishermen on board three fishing trawlers from Nagapattinam hamlets for violating the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

The detained crew were moved to Trincomalee coast and subsequently handed over to Sri Lankan Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Thursday.

It is said that 29 fishermen, all hailing from Akkaraipettai and Keechankuppam hamlets, ventured off the Nagapattinam fishing harbor on December 27 in three mechanised boats.

As the crew was fishing near the North East seas Kokilai in Mullativu district, the patrol vessels of Sri Lankan navy and guards found them violating IMBL and detained all the 29 fishermen, said the official website of Sri Lankan Navy.

The incident that happened by Wednesday night was seen by fellow fishermen fishing in the nearby area and the news was passed on to their counterparts in the mainland on Thursday morning. G Manoharan, fishermen representative from Akkaraipettai said, “For us (fishermen), the new year has begun with apprehension. State and Central governments should expedite their diplomatic efforts to bring a permanent solution to this problem. The detained fishermen should be retrieved along with their boats at the earliest.”

(The New Indian Express)