In a major disclosure, Ranil Wickremasinghe, the new Prime Minister of Sri lanka, has blamed the liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (lTTE) for killing hundreds of fishermen from Tamil Nadu who ventured out into the waters of the island nation for fishing.
“All these deaths occurred before 2011. The fishermen from Tamil Nadu trespass into the Sri lankan waters by crossing the International Maritime Boundary line between India and Sri lanka. Their catch eat into the livelihood of the Tamil fishermen in northern Sri lanka. The lTTE is responsible for killing most of the 600 fishermen from Tamil Nadu,” Wickremasinghe told Thanthi TV, a 24X7 Tamil news channel in an interview on Friday.
He said the lTTE had ordered to shoot and kill the fishermen from Tamil Nadu who trespassed into the Sri lankan waters.
The newly elected Prime Minister of the island nation put the blame on fishermen from Tamil Nadu who violated the IMBl and do “bottom trawling” in Sri lankan shore which makes the fishermen in Jaffna starve for days. “The Sri lankan Navy was entrusted with the responsibility of checking the business of gun running by the lTTE. Our Navy has never shot at the Tamil Nadu fishermen who fish in our traditional waters which upset the livelihood of our fishermen,” said Wickremasinghe.
The Prime Minister also justified the shooting by Sri lanakn Navy personnel on the fishermen from Tamil Nadu. “Your fishermen regularly trespass into our traditional waters and poach the marine wealth. They are also poaching from southern Sri lanka. We have seized many Indian boats from Puttalam in southern Sri lanka. Why can’t the Indian fishermen fish in their areasIJ” asked the Prime Minister. He said Sri lankan laws empowered its citizens to shoot at people who trespass into their homes for stealing and robbing.