Rameswaram, Jan 10 (UNI) The Sri Lankan Navy detained 9 Indian fishermen and confiscated their mechanized fishing trawler, after attacking a number of Indian fishing boats for allegedly fishing in the exclusive economic zone of the Island nation late on Saturday night.

Fisheries officials said here on Sunday that about 3,500 fishermen had set sail into the sea from Rameswaram fishing jetty in 517 boats yesterday morning for routine fishing.

When they were engaged in fishing near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), the Sri Lankan Naval patrol boats encircled several fishing boats and hurled stones and soda bottles.

The Lankan Navy also destroyed the fishing nets cast on the high seas and damaged the fishing gadgets valued several lakhs of rupees.

They detained nine fishermen and impounded their fishing trawler. The incarcerated fishermen were taken to Karainagar naval base for interrogation.

The Indian fishing boats, after attacking them, were allegedly driven away from the zone at gunpoint.

Expressing outrage over the brutal attack on innocent fishermen, leaders of various fishermen associations in Rameswaram appealed to the Centre to take up the issue with Sri Lanka and instruct their Navy to exercise restraint and refrain from harassing our fishermen.

P.Seshu Raja, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Coastal Mechanized Boats Fishermen Association said the Centre should take up the Katchatheevu Island issue with Sri Lankan government and restore the traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen.

UNI GSM CS 1235