Jaffna and Tamil Nadu fishermen to meet soon
February 13, 2011 11:30 am
COLOMBO: In a fresh bid to end the row between the fishermen of Jaffna and Tamil Nadu over fishing in Sri Lankan waters, an Indian official has offered to try and set up a meeting between members of the two fishing communities at the earliest.
S Thavaratnam, President of the Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives of Jaffna, told Express on Saturday, that the offer was made by V Mahalingam, the Indian Consul General in Jaffna, in a meeting on Friday.
“We explained the harm done to Jaffna’s aquatic resources and our livelihood by incessant bottom trawling by poachers from Tamil Nadu.
We said that we were keen on resolving the issue through talks, but stressed the need to resolve the burning issue at the earliest, before it got out of control,” Thavaratnam said.
He made it clear that Jaffna fishermen had no objection to Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing in Sri Lankan waters because, for generations, fishermen from the two areas had considered the sea between them to be a common heritage. What the Jaffna fishermen strongly objected to was the Tamil Nadu fishermen’s methods of fishing.
“While we have abandoned bottom trawling to preserve our resources, Tamil Nadu fishermen have not. After destroying the resources along their coast, they have turned their attention to our side.
Very soon we too will be left with nothing,” Thavaratnam said.
The Consul General thereupon said that the fishermen from the two sides should meet and talk things over, and offered to try and arrange a meeting, either in Jaffna or in Tamil Nadu, the Express News Service reported.
S Thavaratnam, President of the Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives of Jaffna, told Express on Saturday, that the offer was made by V Mahalingam, the Indian Consul General in Jaffna, in a meeting on Friday.
“We explained the harm done to Jaffna’s aquatic resources and our livelihood by incessant bottom trawling by poachers from Tamil Nadu.
We said that we were keen on resolving the issue through talks, but stressed the need to resolve the burning issue at the earliest, before it got out of control,” Thavaratnam said.
He made it clear that Jaffna fishermen had no objection to Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing in Sri Lankan waters because, for generations, fishermen from the two areas had considered the sea between them to be a common heritage. What the Jaffna fishermen strongly objected to was the Tamil Nadu fishermen’s methods of fishing.
“While we have abandoned bottom trawling to preserve our resources, Tamil Nadu fishermen have not. After destroying the resources along their coast, they have turned their attention to our side.
Very soon we too will be left with nothing,” Thavaratnam said.
The Consul General thereupon said that the fishermen from the two sides should meet and talk things over, and offered to try and arrange a meeting, either in Jaffna or in Tamil Nadu, the Express News Service reported.
