Navy hands over 18 Indian fishermen

Rasika Somarathna

The Sri Lanka Navy handed over 18 fishermen from Pamban, Tamil Nadu, to the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday. The fishermen were arrested for straying into Lankan territorial waters about one month ago.

Navy Spokesman Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake told the Daily News that the 18 fishermen who were detained were released and handed over to the Indian Coast Guard officials on the International Maritime Boundary Line.

According to Dassanayake, the Navy had arrested 23 Indian fishermen north of Mannar about one month ago on charges of straying into the Sri Lankan waters.

It is believed that the five fishermen in custody are being further interrogated on suspicion that they were aiding the LTTE terrorists to smuggle goods into Sri Lanka, including weapons and explosives.