Foreign secretary discusses Tamil fishermen issue in Lanka

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Monday met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and raised the issue of frequent attacks on fishermen from Tamil Nadu during his talks with authorities in the island nation, underlining that there was no room for violence.

Ending his three-day visit to the nation, Mathai said that he had taken up the issue with the Lankan government.

He was told that the Lankan navy was not involved in the attacks and it was under strict instructions not to attack Indian fishermen.

In Jaffna, which he visited on Sunday, local officials made a presentation on how local fishermen were suffering due to alleged poaching by Indian fishermen in their waters.

Mathai told them that since the issue was one of livelihood, there was no room for violence.

Representatives of the fishermen of the two sides should meet for talks to thrash out the issues, he said.

The foreign secretary said that he suggested deep sea fishing as means to prevent clashes between the fishermen of the two countries.

Mathai had called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa prior to his visit to Sri Lanka.

Jayalalithaa had conveyed to Mathai her serious concern over the increasing attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy.