Sri lanka has rejected a proposal to allow lankan and Indian fishermen in each other’s waters for 70 days, citing the concept of International maritime borderline.
Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that a Sri lankan fishermen society and their Indian counterparts had proposed reciprocal arrangements to allow fishermen in each other’s waters.
“I am firm on this. They proposed that Indian fishermen be allowed 70 days of fishing in Sri lankan waters and vice-versa. I said no,” Senaratne said. All nations have accepted the concept of international maritime borderline, he said, adding that “these are international conventions that countries have signed into”.
“Tamil Nadu Government or their fishermen can’t violate this,” he said. Senaratne said if the arrangement is to be allowed, it would come as an injustice to Sri lanka’s north-based fishermen.
“They have only recently found to have been freed from a 30-year suffering,” he said. Senaratne’s remark was a reference to fishing bans imposed by the Sri lankan troops during the conflict with the lTTE, as the country’s Navy was often at the receiving end of attacks by the Tamil rebels in the guise of fishermen.
Senaratne said if allowed, the 70-day proposal would severely marginalise the northern fishermen, who are Tamils. “I will be accused as the Sinhala Fisheries Minister who discriminated the Tamils,” he said. On the issue of Indian fishermen being apprehended by Sri lankan forces, lankan Foreign Minister Gl Peiris had said this followed because their actions were assuming “serious” proportions. PTI
Indian fishermen taking away resources was acquiring political aspect and his Government is under pressure to stop it, he said earlier this week on a visit to India. Therefore, it had become important to come up with a strong deterrent and at least taking resort to judicial process, he added.