COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan navy has arrested 21 more Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching into the country’s territorial water, the latest such incident this month.
The fishermen were arrested on Saturday near the Jaffna islet of Delft and escorted to the Kankesanthurai port. Their two trawlers were also seized.
The arrests come a day after the Sri Lanka navy on Friday detained at least 15 Indian fishermen off the coast of Karainagar in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
At least 146 Indian fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lanka so far this year. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen occasionally.