INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy says that according to initial investigations, the two Indian fishermen who were injured when the Sri
Lanka Navy apprehended an India fishing boat poaching off Kankesanthurai (KKS) have been wounded due to the accidental discharge of a
firearm of a Navy personnel.Speaking during a press conference at the Defence Ministry today (29), Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda stated
that naval personnel had boarded an Indian fishing trawler that was in Sri Lankan waters due to a suspicion after it did not respond to
instructions to leave the area.However, as a navy officer and a sailor were heading towards the pilothouse of the trawler, the Indian
when they had attempted to grab the firearm it had accidentally discharged causing minor injuries to two Indian nationals who were
However, the weapon discharge is at a lower angle
the apprehension of 13 Indian fishermen in the proximity of Delft Island in the early hours of last morning (28).The Indian Ministry of
Ministry of External Affairs said.In the incident, out of the 13 fishermen who were on board the fishing vessel, two sustained serious
injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital
Three other fishermen received minor injuries and have been treated for the same
Indian Consulate Officials in Jaffna have visited the injured fishermen at the hospital to seek their welfare and are extending all possible
fishermen in a humane and humanitarian manner, keeping in mind livelihood concerns
The use of force is not acceptable under any circumstances whatsoever
Navy has issued a statement regarding the incident in question stating that the Northern Naval Command observed a cluster of Indian fishing
operation, the Navy seized an Indian fishing boat that continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters, while marshalling illegal fishing
activities and collecting the fishing harvest
The operation also led to the apprehension of 13 Indian fishermen aboard the fishing boat.The Sri Lanka Navy said its boarding team was
aggressively, maneuvering their fishing boat in a hostile manner and behaving confrontationally with the Navy
However, while boarding the fishing boat, in accordance with the authority vested in the Navy, the Indian fishermen, as an organized group,
have attempted to assault naval personnel and made an attempt to snatch a firearm from a naval officer, endangering the lives of the naval
incident, the Navy provided initial first aid to the two injured fishermen and promptly transferred them to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for
the incident.The seized Indian fishing boat and remaining fishermen were brought to the Kankasanthurai harbour last morning and they were
handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for onward legal action, the statement said.The thirteen Indian fishermen, who were arrested
by the Sri Lanka Navy yesterday (28) for illegally entering Sri Lankan waters off Kankesanthurai, were remanded until February 10 by the
Mallakam Magistrate today.Two fishermen from the group, who were reportedly injured, are currently hospitalized.
