Five Indian fishermen released
November 19, 2014 05:29 pm
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday commuted death sentence of five Indian fishermen convicted for allegedly smuggling drugs into the country.
The five fishermen have been handed over to Indian officials in Colombo.
Emerson, P Augustus, R Wilson, K Prasath and J Langlet, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were apprehended in 2011 and were sentenced to death by the Colombo high court on October 30 for alleged drug trafficking.
The court ruling had triggered fiery protests in parts of Tamil Nadu and sporadic violence broke out in and around Rameswaram island.
The issue of fishermen is a very emotive matter for both Sri Lanka and India, where Tamil Nadu-based parties including AIADMK and DMK have been regularly pressing the government to take up the matter with the Lankan authorities seriously and have often resented high-profile visits from the island nation.
(Times of India)
