(a) whether the Indian fishermen have been under constant attack by the Sri Lankan Navy;
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the number of fishermen killed or captured;and
(c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
(a) whether the Indian fishermen have been under constant attack by the Sri Lankan Navy;
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the number of fishermen killed or captured;and
(c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS(SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE)
(a) & (b) A number of incidents of Indian fishermen being fired upon or apprehended by the Sri
Lankan Navy have occured.These incidents have occured while the Indian fishermen were operating
South of the International Maritime Boundary Line within Sri Lankan waters. According to available
information,since January 2008,6 Indian fishermen have been killed and 1435 Indian fishermen have
been apprehended and released after intervention by High Commission of India in Colombo.
(c) Government of India has always taken up on a priority basis the question of the safety of our
fishermen with Sri Lanka.While it is important for our fishermen to respect the International
Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL),the need for the Sri Lankan Navy to act with restraint,desist from
firing on our fishermen and treat them in a humane manner has been emphasized.Whenever Indian
fishermen along with their boats have been apprehended by Sri Lankan authorities,Government has
intervened and got them released and repatriated to India.