4000 fishermen go to sea after ban ends; Sri Lanka navy vessels on IMBL

About 4000 fishermen on Saturday set out to sea at the end of a 48-day ban, imposed to enable fish breeding, even as Sri Lankan Navy deployed its vessels along the International Martime Boundary Line (IMBL) to prevent them from crossing over into their waters. Assistant Director of Fisheries (Ramanthapuram district) Gobinath said officials has warned the fishermen against crossing the IMBL. Severe action would be taken against those who had left this coastal town yesterday without obtaining the requisite permission, he said.

Gopinath said the Lankan Navy has deployed some ships and more than 10 naval boats along IMBL to prevent the fishermen from crossing over into their territorial waters. The Indian Coast Guard had also deployed sufficient force in the area to advice fishermen not to cross the IMBL. So far all of them have been fishing in Indian waters, he said.