COLOMBO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's navy arrested 15 Indian fishermen who were poaching in the country's territorial waters in the early hours of Friday, the navy said in a statement.
The arrests were made during a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers poaching near Karainagar in northern Sri Lanka, and the navy also seized a trawler that the Indians were traveling in, the statement said.
The seized trawler and the 15 Indian fishermen were brought to Kankesanthurai Harbor, and they will be handed over to the local authority for onward legal proceedings.
With this arrest, the navy has seized a total of 16 Indian poaching trawlers and 125 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters so far in 2024.
The navy said that they conduct regular patrols in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices by foreign trawlers, taking into account the consequences of these practices on the livelihood of local fishermen and the marine resources of the South Asian country.
The Sri Lankan navy arrested 343 people engaged in illegal activities and confiscated thousands of kilograms of contraband in 2023. ■
