International   

Colombo denies charge

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Navy on Friday maintained Indian fisher folk were not under detention after it released all those on board 300 boats on Wednesday and Thursday. The boats had inadvertently drifted into the Sri Lankan waters.

In response to a question on media reports that 40 Indian fishermen were missing, Navy spokesperson, Commander D.K.P. Dasanayake, told The Hindu: “We have not sighted any Indian boats in our waters either on Thursday or Friday. There are no Indian fisher folk under the detention of [the] Navy.”

The Foreign Ministry refuted “allegations” that the Navy had detained and harassed the fishermen. “In this regard, the Foreign Ministry wishes to state the Sri Lanka Navy’s shore-based radars at Talaimannar and Delft Island detected approximately 300 trawlers in Sri Lankan territorial waters close to Talaimannar and Delft Island.”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

China, Taiwan begin direct flights
Fresh row over Sharia in U.K.
Time for partners to reciprocate: N. Korea
Colombo denies charge
Hamas calls off prisoner-swap talks
Civilians flee LTTE areas
SAARC action plan on climate change

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu