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The release made as a goodwill gesture was the first since the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power.
Of them, 41 fishermen along with eight boats were taken into custody in the seas north of Talaimannar and the rest in the seas off the Delft Island.
Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasooriya said that units attached to the North Central and Northern Commands had carried out the operation well within
Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. The latest operation had
The navy spokesman said that those repatriated had been apprehended separately on May 31 and June 1. Although, the navy had handed over fishermen to Indian Coast Guard, their boats and fishing gear weren’t released, Commander Warnakulasooriya said.
The 33 poachers were the first lot to be arrested since President Mahinda Rajapaksa met new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 27.
Nearly eighty Sri Lankan poachers are in Indian custody.
Authoritative government sources told The Island that the AIADMK administration in Tamil Nadu had been making an obvious attempt to undermine Indo-Lanka relations. Chief Minister Jeyaram Jayalalithaa should take tangible measures to prevent fishermen from crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary, sources said. Responding to a query, a senior official said that Tamil Nadu had been relentlessly pushing for fishing rights in Sri Lankan waters, though the government in no uncertain terms asserted that would never be a reality. According to him, Tamil Nadu fishing fleet wanted to enter Sri Lankan waters for 70 days annually.
Navy headquarters said that surveillance of northern seas would continue to prevent entry of Indian fishermen.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
