Sri lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday ordered the release of all Indian fishermen who had been arrested by the Sri lankan Navy for trespassing into the coastline of the island nation for fishing in its territorial waters. A tweet from the President said: “On the occasion of India’s independence day, President Rajapaksa orders the release of Indian fishermen in Sri lankan custody”.
There were 94 Indian fishermen, all of them from Tamil Nadu, in Sri lankan custody. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has been pleading with the Union Government to get the fishermen released. The tweet is silent about the fishing boats seized by the lankan Navy. This is the second time in the recent past President Rajapaksa is ordering the unconditional release of Indian fishermen.