India lodges strong protest after 5 fishermen injured in firing by Lankan Navy
In December, India and Sri Lanka agreed to avoid “aggressive behaviour or violence” while dealing with fishermen who transgress the maritime boundary
NEW DELHI: Five Indian fishermen were injured, two of them seriously, when the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire while apprehending a group of fishermen early on Tuesday, prompting the government to summon the most senior Sri Lankan diplomat in New Delhi to register a strong protest.
The incident occurred when Sri Lankan naval personnel were apprehending 13 Indian fishermen near Delft Island in the Palk Strait, the external affairs ministry said. It came a little more than a month after the two sides agreed during Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visit to India last December to avoid “aggressive behaviour or violence” while dealing with fishermen who transgress the maritime boundary.
“Out of the 13 fishermen who were on board the fishing vessel, two have sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital,” the ministry said. Three fishermen were treated for minor injuries.
Sri Lanka’s acting high commissioner in New Delhi was “called in” to the external affairs ministry on Tuesday morning and a “strong protest was lodged over the incident”. India’s high commission in Colombo also raised the matter with Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry.
The Indian government has always emphasised the need to treat issues related to fishermen in a “humane and humanitarian manner, keeping in mind livelihood concerns”, the external affairs ministry said. Noting that existing understandings between the two governments in this regard must be strictly observed, the ministry added: “The use of force is not acceptable under any circumstances whatsoever.”
Officials from India’s consulate in Jaffna visited the injured fishermen in hospital and are extending all possible help to them and their families.
The frequent detention of Indian fishermen, mostly from Tamil Nadu, by the Sri Lankan Navy on allegations of violating the maritime boundary has emerged as an irritant in bilateral relations in recent years. The Indian side has objected on several occasions to the use of force by Sri Lankan authorities against the fishermen.
In August last year, New Delhi lodged a strong protest with Colombo after a collision between a Sri Lankan naval vessel and an Indian fishing boat killed a fisherman and left another missing. At that time too, Sri Lanka’s acting high commissioner was called in to the external affairs ministry and told of the need to handle all issues related to fishermen in a humane manner.
The problems of fishermen of both countries figured in talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Sri Lankan President Dissanayake last December. A joint statement issued at the time said the two leaders agreed to address these issues in a humanitarian manner. “In this regard, they also underscored the need to take measures to avoid any aggressive behaviour or violence,” the joint statement added.
