(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa raised the issue of Indian fishermen trespassing into Sri Lankan waters during his virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
Explaining the problem faced by Sri Lankan fishermen to the Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Rajapaksa requested that the Fisheries Minister of Sri Lanka, Douglas Devananda, be given an opportunity to discuss the issue with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
The Prime Minister’s Media Secretary Rohan Welivita said the Indian Prime Minister had responded positively to Prime Minister Rajapaksa’s request.
Welivita said Prime Minister Rajapaksa held talks with representatives of several fishing organisations last Friday where the local fishermen had raised concern over trespassing Indian fishermen, especially in trawlers. Fishermen of the two countries are often jailed for crossing into each other’s territories and have been an issue which has remained unresolved over a long period.
