Steps are under way to allow selected TN fishermen to engage in fishing in Sri Lanka’s territorial water.
Jaffna fishermen are up in arms over a proposal made by the Indian Minister of State for Fisheries to allow a selected few from Tamil Nadu to engage in fishing within Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
Steps are now being taken to allow a selected few fishermen from Tamil Nadu to enter Sri Lankan waters for fishing taking into consideration the fact that they anyway breach the border line anyway.
Jesurasa, President of the United Fishermen’s Union of Jaffna, said that this proposal was presented to the government when Indian Minister of State for Fisheries L. Murugan visited Jaffna, and the government has responded positively to the Indian Minister.
The Fishermen’s Association of Jaffna claims that the Indian Minister of State for Fisheries has submitted the proposal directly to the President in Jaffna and that the President has agreed to negotiate with India and devise some conciliatory mechanisms for the operation of the proposal.
The Jaffna United Fishermen’s Union, which says that a decision is likely to be taken during the President’s visit to New Delhi, has further stated that if such a proposal is implemented, it (the fisherman’s association) will protest to the utmost.
