Five fishermen held by B’desh Coast Guard return to Lanka

The five fishermen held by the Bangladesh Coast Guard after drifting into Bangladesh territorial waters when their multi-day boat Ama Duwa was caught in the recent ‘Nargis’ cyclone returned to Sri Lanka on Tuesday after the Sri Lanka High Commission in Bangladesh intervened on their behalf and got them released on the initiative of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Felix Perera.

A Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry press release said the five fishermen Somarsiri, Noel Anthony, K.S. Fernando, Anthony Fernando and Christy Fernando had set out in their boat form the Negombo Fiseheris Labour on April 1.

Although they had maintained radio contact with land, their boat had stalled due to engine failure at deep sea severing their radio contacts. When their boat owner and relatives informed this matter to the Ministry it made contacts with India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Andaman Islands and Bangladesh though the Foreign Ministry seeking to locate the missing fishermen.

It was later revealed that the boat carrying the fishermen had been found by a group of Bangladeshi Fishermen and handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard on May 23.

The Bangladesh Government released the fishermen on the request made by the Minister and the Deputy Minister through the Foreign Ministry.