Tamil Nadu fishermen provoking conflict by entering Lankan waters

[bronxbull]

I hope you rememebr one evry important detail,

When the LTTE killed Rajiv Gandhi,The DMK lost the elections in a landslide and even Karunanidhi barely managed to save his seat.

So,primarily i see the current Dravidian parties which have made a big fool out of TN people and they are not the correct protagonists to deal with the situation.

I mean someone like Vaiko who cant win an election against a first time novice because people got paid money to vote against him,thats his value in today's society.

He is a catholic and his wife is a preacher.

These guys ll sell anything for money.

Of course we neednt someone to do diplomacy between SL n Ind. But the TNs (most of them) create a very wrong picture of SL in the eyes of SL.
Actually India and SL are same culturally, religously, and we share a bond since ancient times. Why let these TN political parties to undermine them.

Also India needs to understand SL has to take measures to strengthen its defence and security.

another thing many TN fellows here would disappear when they cant prove their point on SL and even go to the lowest level of deleting threads.

As a kid i was very naive,thinking emotionally etc but now after coming to know of the reality and truth about many things,this India-SL relations are embroiled with too many flaws but the problem is very deep and it ll take time.

 

[Gibbs]

I hope you rememebr one evry important detail,

When the LTTE killed Rajiv Gandhi,The DMK lost the elections in a landslide and even Karunanidhi barely managed to save his seat.

So,primarily i see the current Dravidian parties which have made a big fool out of TN people and they are not the correct protagonists to deal with the situation.

I mean someone like Vaiko who cant win an election against a first time novice because people got paid money to vote against him,thats his value in today's society.

He is a catholic and his wife is a preacher.

These guys ll sell anything for money.



As a kid i was very naive,thinking emotionally etc but now after coming to know of the reality and truth about many things,this India-SL relations are embroiled with too many flaws but the problem is very deep and it ll take time.

Most definitely.. No rational Lankan is under the illusion that everything is good and fine with the Lankan Tamil minority, Infact with any of it's population.. We have a long way to go and though a major impediment to reconciliation the LTTE is done away with we're facing a another obstacle to this from the remnants of the LTTE with it's huge funds in the Diaspora mainly in the west but a more troubling highly antagonist TN political establishment vying for domestic political gamesmanship at the expense of Indo Lanka relations

If i'm not mistaken you have a more open opinion on the island as you have visited it.. Unlike many who pull daggers despite having no idea about actual ground situation

 

[bronxbull]

I believe,if all the Tamils had been together in their want of a Tamil Homeland and i include the muslims here,then it would have been possible to make a decent attempt at carving out a country of the north and eastern provinces or at best a province with more autonomy.

But thats just ideality and not the reality,s coming to the reality,i believe Prabhakaran once got an option on the negotiating table about a province with significant autonomy which he refused to take.

I believe that was very cruel and stupid on his part in giving his people something.

And as much as anyone want,killing Rajiv killed his chances at achieving anything substantial.

I feel very bad about what the northern Jaffna Tamils had to endure because they are great people,people of great faith,culture,temperament,skill and ability.

They deserved much better and i believe it is eprfectly feasible for them to live at peace and equity with the Sinhalese of Colombo without having had to pick up a gun.

Indira & Jayawadene are both not smart/innocent/clean in this story.

They lacked foresight took a tactical battle to a serious scale never seen before and we are living the consequences of it and Rajiv is a victim of the circumstances.

I would blame Prabhakaran for not taking any responsibility over this situation and his death causes a bigger problem of making him a martyr,i hope those who knocked him off knew of the political consequences of this action.

Nonetheless,am quite hopeless but really hope some sane heads lead us towards more harmony.

People like Pakistan/USA has no job here.

It all started because Srilanka was with the Capitalist block and India with the NAM or Russia and they chose to play the cold war out here.

Thats why am sad sometimes,that people like Rajaji died too soon.

 

[samv]

Sri Lanka gets tough on illegal Indian fishermen

After facing heavy losses from poaching, the Sri Lankan government is clamping down on illegal Indian fishing with a court extending the remand of 41 fishermen here on Thursday.

The 41 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy in two groups on July 5 and Aug. 5 and will be held in two prisons.

Mannar District Judicial Magistrate Ananthi Kanagarrathinam extended their stay till Aug. 29.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne during a press conference defended the tough stance as the industry loses an estimated 78.9 million US dollarS worth of fish from illegal poaching from south India.

The Sri Lankan government has targeted 500 million US dollars in revenue for 2013.

"We estimate that an average of 1056 Indian boats cross into our waters illegally. If you calculate their catch we lose 19.72 million dollars from their shrimp catch alone. In total they poach at least 65 million kilograms of fish each year."

These numbers have left Sri Lanka with little choice but to clamp down on Indian fishermen, the minister insisted, adding that he has sought advice from the Attorney General regarding confiscation of boats and heavy fines.

Currently Sri Lanka earns around 250 million US dollars annually from fish exports, out of which 48 percent are earnings from tuna. Last year Sri Lanka captured 486,000 metric tons of fish, according to government records.

Europe usually purchases around 38 percent of Sri Lanka's fish exports but this amount has fallen to 33 percent last year with Japan increasing its stake from 37 percent to 47 percent and US buying 17 percent.

Sri Lanka gets tough on illegal Indian fishermen - WORLD - Globaltimes.cn

 

[Skyline]

illegal fishing in SL waters, illegal workers in roadside stalls, + TN pick-pocketing teams.... so annoying Indian Tamilnadu Tamilas!

 

[navtrek]

I personally feel that they should.. Given that it's organised crime at the behest of their political masters in Madras.. Atleast our northern fishermen have been cracking few heads of theirs.. But I guess legal way is always better

Would like to know the views of rational Indian posters on this subject, Most of them would have been fed so much misinformation about the innocent "Indian" fishermen by Madrasis by now



Ta mate.. It's indeed refreshing and indeed rare to have the same view point on many issues( Not just this) with an Indian poster

Are there any demarcations on the sea for the fishermen to recognize the border?

 

[kurup]

If they were fishing in Srilankan waters (barring kachaitheevu), then it was a very bad move .

The TN Govt. should control their fishermen .

 

[kurup]

illegal fishing in SL waters, illegal workers in roadside stalls, + TN pick-pocketing teams.... so annoying Indian Tamilnadu Tamilas!

We have arrested sri lankan citizens for drug trafficking , human trafficking , gold trafficking and what not .

We are also annoyed . And you are not saints either .

 

[Saradiel]

Are there any demarcations on the sea for the fishermen to recognize the border?

dont knw abt that but fishermen knows very well in which side they are in

 

[Saradiel]

We have arrested sri lankan citizens for drug trafficking , human trafficking , gold trafficking and what not .

We are also annoyed . And you are not saints either .

Punish them according to ur laws we dont poke our nose into them do we?

Of course the same way we arrest Indians for drug trafficking, gold trafficking.....

but SLns dont do what skyline mentioned. Even if they do punish them according to ur laws. what we dislike is we NOT being able to practice according to our laws but the political establishments scream when we do giving a totally different picture

 

[Saradiel]

Are there any demarcations on the sea for the fishermen to recognize the border?

Indian Fishermen do cross IMBL - Coast Guard officer

Indian Fishermen do cross into Sri Lanka - Indian Coast Guard
Commanding Officer H.H. More, Coast Guard Station Mandapam said Indian fishermen are crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and getting caught by the Sri Lankan Navy for poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

Describing it as a long pending problem, he said the fishermen not only cross the IMBL, while setting out for fishing, but reach very close to the Lankan coast.

"We will not keep quiet if Lankan fishermen or fishermen from Pakistan crossed the line and fish near our coast," he said.

In the case of 40 fishermen, he said they were fishing near the Bolder point, 'very close' to the east coast of Sri Lanka, when they were arrested by the Lankan Navy on December 3.

The Indian fishermen, sometimes, move close to two km away from the Lankan coast, he said.
The fishermen go out for fishing and they do not indulge in smuggling acts, but when hundreds of fishermen set out for fishing and get close to the Lankan coast, the possibility of some of them indulging in smuggling activities, could not be ruled out, he said.

The fishermen, who were equipped with GPS, know fully well their location of fishing, but they were wilfully crossing the border, taking a risk. When the Coast guard vessel, stop them at the IMBL, they take a deviation to get into the Lankan waters.

"After crossing the IMBL, they even used to wave at us as we cannot chase at them across the IMBL," the Commanding Officer said.Pointing out that from Rameswaram, the IMBL lay about 16 nautical miles and from the Sri Lankan side, 14 nautical miles from the Point Calimere, he said for a lasting solution, a massive awareness campaign has to be launched among the fishing community to change their mindset, he suggested.

On charges levelled by the fishermen that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard do not come to their rescue when they were attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said "I can't help when they are in other's territory. I can protect them only if they are in my territory," he said.

The fishermen have been distributed Distress Alert Equipment, free of cost by the Coast Guard, but they seldom take the devise, when they set out for fishing, he complained.

The fishermen have to be educated that the use of bottom trawling would wipe out the entire marine resources and it would pose a threat to their livelihood in the future.

"There is so much of technology available now, but they should go hand in hand with the awareness campaign as the issue concerned the livelihood of the fishing community," Mr. More said.

If they were fishing in Srilankan waters (barring kachaitheevu), then it was a very bad move .

The TN Govt. should control their fishermen .

why should they? they have a different motive

 

[third eye]

Prima Facie it appears that Indian fisherman are at fault, they need to be reigned in,

 

[kurup]

Punish them according to ur laws we dont poke our nose into them do we?

Of course the same way we arrest Indians for drug trafficking, gold trafficking.....

but SLns dont do what skyline mentioned. Even if they do punish them according to ur laws. what we dislike is we NOT being able to practice according to our laws but the political establishments scream when we do giving a totally different picture

Same can be said about the trouble makers in lanka . Punish them according to your laws .

What skyline did was to put all the blame on Tamils and make the SLns look like a bunch of saints .

I am just showing there are bad apples everywhere .

why should they? they have a different motive

And what motive is that ???

 

[Gibbs]

And what motive is that ???

Most of those owners of trawlers are TN political class.. These are the vessels that do the damage.. Not the country boats of poor fishermen of TN

This is organised crime and it has two objectives..

1. Over fishing has decimated fishing stocks on the Indian side, Adding to that they use universally banned methods like bottom trolling and saline fishing, That destroys all marine eco systems including corals.. They cross over to plunder SL marine wealth

2. To keep Indo Lanka relations at an low ebb than in turn will give them a platform to keep anti Lanka agitation alive in the state as to keep the ignorant masses in a spin.. It's a political gimmick


This latest decision from GOSL is more wise IMO.. It will hit the B@atards where it will really hurt, And not the poor illiterate idiots that poach for them for a pittance

Sri Lanka threatens to confiscate Indian trawlers


Rajitha Senaratne said that though a large number of Indian fishermen were found trespassing, the government now decided not be too harsh on them.

The Sri Lankan government is considering confiscating Indian trawlers if they trespass into their waters, Sri Lanka's Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Rajitha Senaratne said here on Thursday.

“We recognise the fact that this is a livelihood issue for the Indian fishermen. We will release them immediately. It is the owners of the trawlers who need to be dealt with – those business magnets. We have decided not to return the trawlers we confiscate. At least, that should act as a deterrent,” he said.

Observing that the incidence of Indian fishermen allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) had become a major issue in Indo-Lanka relations, he said that while India [Centre] understood the seriousness of the problem, Tamil Nadu complicated the matter.

The Fisheries Minister’s remarks come soon after Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris visited India. During the visit, Mr. Peiris ruled out the early repatriation of over 100 fishermen – currently in Sri Lankan prisons, and had said that the Sri Lankan government would undergo the entire judicial process.

However, Mr. Senaratne on Thursday said that though a large number of Indian fishermen were found trespassing, the government now decided not be too harsh on them.

“They are not to blame. That is why we are considering confiscation of trawlers,” he said, addressing a press conference here.

Tamil Nadu unfailingly makes a lot of noise every time fishermen from the State are arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Ironically, the real victims of the problem are largely Tamil fishermen in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Antonypillai Emileyampillai, president of a collective that represents fishermen of Jaffna, said: “Indians don’t know what we go through. Their trawlers damage our nets and our fishermen end up borrowing heavily to repair the nets. Trespassing is just not acceptable and the fishermen of Jaffna have a strong position on that.”

Sri Lanka threatens to confiscate Indian trawlers - The Hindu

 

[Saradiel]

Same can be said about the trouble makers in lanka . Punish them according to your laws .

What skyline did was to put all the blame on Tamils and make the SLns look like a bunch of saints .

I am just showing there are bad apples everywhere .



And what motive is that ???

trouble makers in SL are punished, what we meant here are foreign trouble makers in Lankan seas or soil. We cant punish them according to Lankan law because the ones in their country does not allow us to do that.

motive - keeping Ind-SL relationship under strained