Lanka releases 136 Indian fishermen, Krishna thanks govt

New Delhi/Colombo, Feb 18 (PTI) Sri Lanka on Friday
released 136 Indian fishermen apprehended for allegedly
poaching in its waters, following which Indian External
Affairs Minister S M Krishna thanked Colombo for the support.
A day after India conveyed its deep concern over the
detention of Indian fishermen and sought their release, the
fishermen along with their boats were released by Sri Lankan
authorities following a court order.
"Today I got the message from (Sri Lankan External
Affairs Minister G L) Peiris that all the 136 fishermen have
been released and Sri Lankan government has very successfully
intervened and instructed the Attorney General of Sri Lanka
and his subordinates to facilitate the release," Krishna told
reporters.
Krishna said though India was happy, at the same time he
has a "very special appeal" to make to the fishermen of Tamil
Nadu and other regions that they should confine themselves to
the Indian waters instead of straying into Sri Lankan waters
leading to such abrasions.
"I am glad that the episode has ended to our
satisfaction. I would like to thank Sri Lankan government for
their gesture," the Minister said.
According to a Sri Lankan defence official in Colombo,
the fishermen will be escorted to Indian maritime border by
the Sri Lankan Navy.
The move followed a high-level meeting between the Sri
Lankan defence official and Indian diplomats in Colombo.
Out of the 136 Indian fishermen, 112 were caught last
Tuesday by a group of local fishermen and handed over to the
police there.
Reacting to the incident, Krishna had on Thursday spoken
to Peiris and conveyed India's "deep concern" over the
detention of fishermen, asking the Sri Lankan government to
take "necessary" steps to get them released.
Tweeting on the issue, Indian Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao said, "next step is to have early meeting of
fishermen's associations of two sides."