Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 27 Indian fishermen
and seized their four trawlers after accusing them of fishing inside the
country’s maritime area.
Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said that
the Indians were arrested on Sunday night for “poaching inside Sri Lanka
international maritime border limits (IMBL) off the eastern coast”.
The boats and the trawlers would be handed over
to the police in the harbour town of Trincomalee later on Monday for further
action, the Navy said.
Early this month, at least 40 Indian fishermen
and their four trawlers were repatriated by the Navy after a similar arrest for
straying into Sri Lanka’s IMBL.
