Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has arrested 38 Indian fishermen for violating the maritime boundary line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The fishermen and their 9 trawlers were intercepted in seas near Delft Island and Talaimannar last night, navy said.
The arrested fishermen have been handed over to fisheries department officials in Talaimannar for onward action, navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said.
Indian media reports state that all the fishermen are from villages in Rameswaram (20) and Pudukottai (18) in Tamil Nadu.
U Arulanandam of India’s Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen said the fishermen were detained around 10pm on Monday.
Of the nine boats seized by the navy, five boats belong to the Pudukottai fishermen while the rest belong to the Rameswaram fishermen.
Fishermen leaders in Rameswaram, who met on Sunday, had called for an indefinite strike starting on July 28 to condemn the frequent apprehension of fishermen and their boats.
Last month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa urged the Indian government to secure the release of Indian fishermen from Sri Lankan jails.
