The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : 10 Sri Lankan fishermen captured

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

10 Sri Lankan fishermen captured

Staff Reporter

Mid-sea confrontation between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen

CHENNAI: Ten Sri Lankan fishermen, who were fishing near the Indian waters, were on Friday captured and brought to Chennai.

According to police and an official of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission here, they were captured by a group of Tamil Nadu fishermen. This followed a mid-sea confrontation between a group of Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.

The captured fishermen were brought to Kasimedu harbour and handed over to the local police.

Police officials said they were waiting for a formal complaint from the Fisheries Department to enable them to take further action.

C. Thaseen, an official at the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission, said: “A group of Sri Lankan fishermen is believed to have attacked the Indian fishermen and fled. We do not know what led to the skirmish, but the Indian fishermen have brought this group in retaliation.”

The captured fishermen are from a place called Chilaw, near Colombo.

A police official in charge of the fishermen said those detained were likely to be sent back after investigation.

On February 29, a group of 21 fishermen were captured near Karaikal by the Coast Guard for straying into Indian territorial waters.

They were brought to Chennai and sent back to Sri Lanka on March 1, he said.

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