Poaching: Lanka rejects India’s ‘one-day’ proposal

[samv]

Poaching: Lanka rejects India’s ‘one-day’ proposal

By Chris Kamalendran

Sri Lanka has rejected an Indian proposal that Tamil Nadu fishermen be allowed to fish in our territorial waters at least one day a week. The proposal had emerged from the Indian High Commission in Colombo during consultations with officials of the Ministry of Fisheries.

Both Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne and a High Commission official declined comment on New Delhi’s offer.At present, Tamil Nadu fishermen unilaterally conduct fishing activity in Sri Lankan waters in the Palk Strait on three days of the week. They had urged local fishermen to keep away prompting the Government to order arrests of poachers. Such arrests have been further warranted by complaints of ‘bottom trawling’ by Tamil Nadu fishermen thus destroying all marine life on the sea bed.

The Sunday Times of October 20 revealed exclusively that President Rajapaksa directed Fisheries Minister Senaratne to hold a conference with local fishermen, Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran in Jaffna to discuss the issue.

Reports from Jaffna said the Indian proposal was placed before local fishermen by Minister Senaratne. They were, however, not in favour of the move.

Diplomatic sources said the Indian proposal was intended to ease pressure on the New Delhi Government by Tamil Nadu politicians. However, the Sri Lankan Government has taken up the position that it would not be possible to heed the request for several reasons.

Besides the serious damage to marine life, Sri Lankan officials point out that such a move would be tantamount to an admission that Tamil Nadu fishermen were now given rights to poach one day a week.

EU envoy on fact-finding mission

The Sunday Times has made a series of exposures on poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen. The exposures led to the European Union’s Sri Lanka delegation chief, David Daly, on Friday meeting Jaffna’s Government Agent Sunderam Arumainayagam to obtain a first-hand account of how Tamil Nadu fishermen were poaching in Sri Lankan waters. The EU has strict legislation applicable to illegal fishing methods like ‘bottom trawling.” Exports of fish harvested through such methods are banned. An EU spokesperson said, however, the Sri Lanka Government is yet to officially inform the EU about the poaching issue.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/131103/news/poaching-lanka-rejects-indias-one-day-proposal-68046.html

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

indian fishermen/thiefs... damn people are an issue for every country in the neighbourhood..

 

[samv]

Can't believe that India's "solution" is to allow its fishermen to poach unhindered. They boast about being such a huge country with a massive economy and yet want to steal from a small island on their southern border.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

funny coming from a guy whose country is a pain for the whole world 

Yet nobody can do jack right? while these indian thieves are causing loss of billions of rs to several countries... and india is advocating them..

 

[funtoosh]

Yet nobody can do jack right? while these indian thieves are causing loss of billions of rs to several countries... and india is advocating them..

Pakistani terrorists are killing thousands and Pakistan shelters and raises them

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Pakistani terrorists are killing thousands and Pakistan shelters and raises them

Cool story... i would have give u a cookie point.. but @WebMaster changed tht option..a few hours back..

 

[Yogi]

Useless proposal by Kongress they don't have any spine left in them.

If the fisherman want to do fishing, they can do all they want Indian waters but how can somebody ask to fish in other countries water, even if for a day.

Pathetic, i can't believe they actually come with such an idea in first place. 

indian fishermen/thiefs... damn people are an issue for every country in the neighbourhood..

Oh give me a break as if Pakistani fishermen never come in Indian water for fishing.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Oh give me a break as if Pakistani fishermen never come in Indian water for fishing.

LMAO @ YOU GUYS.. I HAVE POSTED SOLID FACTS ABOUT THESE THIEFS.. AGAIN POSTING FOR YOUR SATISFACTION:





Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200-nautical miles, designated by the United Nations, is overwhelmingly enriched in both living and non-living marine resources - especially the Indus Delta region has abundance of prime quality fish that entice the neighbouring Indian fishermen, who deliberately violate the international boundaries and indulge in illegal fishing activities in Pakistan’s EEZ.



Despite the best monitoring efforts of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), deliberate violation of Pakistani EEZ by Indian fishermen continues causing huge losses to Pakistan’s fisheries resources. Emotional stories regarding the plight of Indian fishermen facing persecution in Pakistani jails are published. Some of the convicted fisherman, when interviewed by the media, projected the predetermined theme in a parrot-like manner. NGOs, humanitarian organisations, respectable members of the society, etc, in innocence adopt the same stance and project the fishermen as victims of the circumstances beyond their control. Arrests are blamed on the insensitivity and highhandedness of the PMSA and other Pakistani law enforcement agencies.



The PMSA, being the sole maritime law enforcement agency, undertakes concerted operational efforts to prevent the poaching activities by Indian fishermen. In this regard, besides regular deployment of ships and surveillance by aircraft, a series of focused anti-poaching operations are also conducted in the Eastern Maritime Region.



To curb this tendency, Indian boats close to the EEZ boundary (10-15 NM) are cleared from the Pakistani limits towards India.



Even among those Indian fishing boats, which intrude deeper into our EEZ, only a few boats are apprehended and majority are cleared off. Moreover, children/elderly are invariably released/let go, purely on humanitarian grounds. The extent of the illegal activity is an indication of the lure despite the peril of apprehension.



However, regular patrolling and clearing of these fishermen by the PMSA ships has progressively resulted in substantial decrease in the presence of Indian boats. During the recent past (September 2012 onwards), 131 boats and 484 crewmembers have been apprehended, which is but a mere drop in the ocean. During the trials of Indian fishermen, the Pakistani courts adopt a humanitarian view and award light sentences from one to three years for this deliberate illegal activity. Frequently, as a goodwill gesture, the government of Pakistan releases them before the end of their sentence. On the contrary, the Indian law enforcement agencies mete out very harsh punishment to the Pakistani fishermen and they are kept away from the judicial process for a long time.



According to marine experts, quality fish is available in abundance in Pakistani creeks. The Indian fishermen deliberately take risks to fish in Pakistani territorial limits. Such poaching activities not only deplete the highly priced marine species, it also inflicts a loss of Rs8.1 billion per annum to the government exchequer. During January 2012 to March 2013, 184 boats, along with 606 Indian fisher-folks, who were fishing more than 25-100 NMs inside our EEZ, were apprehended. It clearly reflects the deliberate intrusion marked by mala fide intent, especially when all the Indian boats have Global Positioning System (GPS) installed in their boats that tells the exact position of the boat. These fishermen mainly sail from Okha or Porbandar in India, which are around 115 NM (148 km) and 135 NM (250 km) (I nautical mile = 1.85 km) respectively from our EEZ.



The boats travel even further ahead of the EEZ and their deliberate acts of intrusion are done well within Pakistan’s waters. Most regrettably, some violators are apprehended even 100 nautical miles inside our waters. These incursions are not restricted to a few ‘innocent inadvertent crossers’ but at occasions number over 300 boats. The lure of the rich fish catch is extremely attractive and worth taking a calculated risk vis-à-vis the expected return. Moreover, the nets used by them are internationally banned, due to their very small mesh size.



On the contrary, any crossing by Pakistani fishermen into the Indian EEZ is indeed inadvertent as there is no fishing attraction in Indian waters. From January 2012 till end March 2013, numerous incursions of massive quantity (totalling thousands) were regularly reported in Pakistani EEZ. However, during the same period, only 12 Pakistani fishing boats were apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard units and that too in close proximity of the EEZ demarcation.



A hotline was earlier established in November 2006 for exchange of information and coordination between the two director generals. The intrusions are regularly conveyed to the Indian Coast Guards. Regrettably, the response has at best been lukewarm and no effective action to curb the ingress has been taken, indicating tacit state approval of this criminal activity.

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Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is rich in both living and non-living resources. Most significantly, the Indus Delta region is abundant with the prime quality fish and a most attractive lure for fishermen. On the other hand such a delta is not available in the entire Indian Gujrat region. Indian fishermen therefore deliberately violate the international boundaries and indulge in poaching in Pakistan’s EEZ, especially in the Indus Delta region.

All Indian fishing boats are fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) on board and the exact position of the boat, at all times, is well known to the crew. These fishermen mainly sail from Okha or Porbandar in India, which are around 115 NM (148 Km) and 135 NM (250 Km) ( Nautical Mile = 1.85 Km) respectively from our EEZ. The boats travel even further ahead of the EEZ marked boundary and their deliberate acts of intrusion are done well within Pakistani waters. Violators are apprehended at times even up to 100 nautical miles inside our waters.These incursions are not restricted to a few but quite often in hundreds. The lure of the rich fish catch is extremely attractive and worth taking a calculated risk vis-à-vis the expected return. Moreover, the nets used by them are internationally banned, due to their very small openings. These nets, when used for trawling, sweep the sea bottom and practically eradicate all forms of marine life. The consequences of such inhuman practices and blatant violation of international norms are most disastrous on the ecosystem. Such poaching activities, besides depleting the highly priced marine species in our region, not only cause enormous revenue loss to the Government Exchequer but also deprive the poor fishing community of Pakistan of their livelihood and honourable means of sustenance.
On the contrary, any crossing by Pakistani fishermen into the Indian EEZ is indeed inadvertent as there is no fishing attraction in the Indian waters. From January till end May 2011, about 2200 Indian fishing boats were reported operating in our EEZ. This translates into a revenue loss of approximately Rs. 8.1 Billion/annum.
The vast majority of these boats were cleared off by PMSA ships. Only 37 boats along with 134 Indian fishermen, who were fishing more than 70 NMs inside our EEZ, were apprehended. However, during the same period, only 5 Pakistani fishing boats were reportedly apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard units, and that too in close proximity of the maritime boundary between the two countries.
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency remains committed to protect and safeguard national interests in the Maritime Zones of Pakistan. It will continue to ward off poachers and guard against other illegal activities, in order to makes our sea safe and secure for the country.


Facts about illegal Indian fishing activity inside Pakistan EEZ