Jayalalitha snag in fishermen release: Deputy Minister

9 December 2013 03:03 pm

The influence of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was clouding the bilateral discussions between Sri Lanka and India to release Sri Lankan fishermen and their vessels from Indian custody, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development said today.

The Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne said discussions were ongoing to release those 207 Lankan fishermen and 39 fishing vessels in the Indian custody for allegedly fishing in Indian waters.

“But the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram’s continuous pressure on the discussions causing delays in securing the release of the Lankan fishermen,” he said.

The Ministry had therefore advised Sri Lankan fishermen not to engage in fishing in Indian maritime boundaries.

The Deputy Minister also said that discussions were being conducted with the Maldivian government on allowing Lankan fishermen to fish near the Maldivian maritime boundaries. (Darshana Sanjeewa)