Fishermen in jail on Andaman Islands released

25 January 2012 11:19 am

The six fishermen who were taken into custody and jailed in the Andaman Islands for two years on the charge of encroaching the Indian waters returned to the country last morning after their release.

All of them were residents of Kandakuliya, in Kalpitiya and are relatives of one family.  They had been arrested in the sea off Tincomalee on March 8, 2010 and jailed.

The First Secretary of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai, Dilani Weerakoon who left for the Andaman Islands on Monday provided food, clothes and other facilities for the released fishermen and made arrangements for their journey back home.

Assistant Director of the Minister of Fisheries Lal De Silva said the Sri Lankan Government spent more than Rs.1.2 million including legal expenses to secure the release of the six men.

The Chief Incumbent of the Kalpitiya Samudrasanna Vihara Ven. Bendiwewa Diyasena who had been campaigning for the release of the fishermen and the relatives was at the airport to meet them. (News and Pix by Deepa Adikari)