Talks alone can solve fishermen issue - Indian deputy envoy

A political solution has to be found for the problems facing the Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait, India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka A. Natarajan said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop at the Tamil University in Thanjavur, Mr. Natarajan said that internal strife on the Island Nation in the past 30 years kept the Lankan fishermen away from the seas but with peace returning to Sri Lanka, their fishermen too have come out in a significant manner.

The Lankan fishermen’s main allegation was that the Indian fishermen crossed the international maritime border and swept away all marine resources. “It is imperative that both sides understand each other as also the ground realities and act accordingly. Only talks can solve the tangle,” Mr. Natarajan said.

The Deputy High Commissioner mentioned that the governments of the two nations would facilitate a smooth dialogue between Indian and Lankan fishermen communities so that a lasting solution would be found to the benefit of both sides.

Mr. Natarajan released the book Tamil Civilisation on the occasion while the Tamil University Vice-Chancellor G. Bhaskaran gifted on behalf of his institution more than 300 books to the Jaffna University.

Meanwhile fishing activities came to a grinding halt on the island as more than 4,000 fishermen launched an indefinite strike on Friday, demanding the release of the 77 fishermen languishing in Sri Lankan prisons along with more than 100 boats, impounded by the Lankan authorities.

Source: The Hindu

-Agencies