24 more Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka repatriated to India

Colombo: Twenty-four Indian fishermen who were detained by the Sri Lanka Navy for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters were on Friday repatriated to India, two days after another group of five Indian fishermen were sent to their homeland.

"Twenty-four Indian fishermen repatriated from Sri Lanka. They have boarded from Colombo and are currently on their way home," the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a post on X.

On Wednesday, five Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were repatriated to India.

Earlier this month, 19 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were repatriated to India, the Indian High Commission said.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The Sri Lanka Navy has so far held 23 Indian trawlers and 178 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing in the island nation's waters thus far in 2024, and handed them over to authorities for legal action, the Sri Lankan Navy late last month confirmed in a statement.

On April 3, as many as 19 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy were repatriated to India after being released by authorities here.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.

In 2023, the island nation's Navy arrested 240 Indian fishermen along with 35 trawlers for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters.