New Delhi: Twelve Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawlers were seized for allegedly poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, the island nation's Navy said on Sunday, reported PTI.


According to the Navy, the fishermen were arrested off the coast of Karainagar in the northern Jaffna peninsula on Saturday. They were escorted to the Kankesanthurai harbour for further action, it said, as per the report.


Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking the latter’s intervention to repatriate the 12 arrested Indian fishermen.




"I would like to draw your attention to the apprehension of 12 fishermen and three fishing boats by the Sri Lankan Navy on 13.01.2024. I request you to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan Government through appropriate diplomatic channels to immediately secure the release of our fishermen and their fishing boats," Stalin wrote in the letter.





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 PTI report added.


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


As per the report, there have been periodic instances of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.


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