23 January 2021 12:00 am
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda who commented on the death of four Indian fishermen in the Sri Lankan waters said it was an immensely painful incident for him.
He said he would share his grief with the families of the diseased. The Minister said he handed over a draft of proposals to end IUU (Illegal, Unlawful, Unregulated) fishing by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters by evolving a mechanism acceptable to both the countries. The draft was handed over to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to India.
However, he said the pandemic stood in the way of its implementation. The Minister said there were instances of mid-sea clashes between fishermen when IUU fishing activities escalated.
Asserting that those were damaging, he said the failure to realise his instructions led to the latest unfortunate incident. While noting that he would look into it, he said it was important for the Indian fishermen to exercise restraint at this hour since emotional, repulsive actions entailed disastrous consequences according to his personal experience.
He stressed that such incidents could be brought an end once and for all only if a solution was worked out to stop Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters.