Sri Lanka arrests 16 Indian fishermen for poaching

The Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday arrested 16 Indian fishermen for poaching illegally in the island's northern seas, its media unit said in a statement.

Four fishing trawlers belonging to the fishermen were also taken into custody, Xinhua news agency reported.

The fishermen were apprehended in the seas northwest of Delft Island and northeast of the Kachchativu Island, in Sri Lanka's north, by Fast Attack Craft attached to the Northern Naval Command of Sri Lanka.

Those apprehended have been handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna for further legal action.

The Sri Lankan government has repeatedly warned that Indian fishermen trespassing into Sri Lankan waters to fish illegally will be arrested and their boats will be seized.

Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen often face arrests when they enter each other's territorial waters illegally with both countries attempting to find a lasting solution to the fishing dispute. - IANS