In a considerable gesture, Sri Lanka today released 14 Indian anglers, to coincide with the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the island.The release followed in-depth conversations between Prime Minister Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (5 ), during which the long-standing concern of fishermens arrests was apparently taken up.Prime Minister Modi, throughout his remarks at a joint media instruction, stated, We discussed the fishermens problems.
We agreed that we must progress in this matter with a gentle method.
We stressed the immediate release of the fishermen and the return of their boats.Sri Lanka Navy continues to detain Indian fishermen, mainly from Tamil Nadu, for poaching in Sri Lankan waters.Since the beginning of 2025, 119 Indian fishermen and 16 fishing boats have actually supposedly been captured by authorities.Addressing a press conference following the talks, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, We have actually been informed that the Sri Lankan authorities have taken a decision to release 11 fishermen imminently, and maybe a couple of more in the coming days.This was a topic that was discussed in significant information in between the two sides.
As the Prime Minister himself said throughout his remarks, there was a focus on the need to adopt a humanitarian and useful method to cooperation on these issues due to the fact that these are eventually issues that impact the income of anglers on both sides, Misri added.The release of the 14 Indian anglers comes amid a series of crucial diplomatic and developmental engagements throughout Prime Minister Modis visit, which included the finalizing of 7 Memoranda of Understating.The Indian delegation led by Prime Minister Modi left the island after concluding his engagements in Anuradhapura this morning.