Fishermen to leave for Sri Lanka to bring back 87 boats

RAMESWARAM: A total of 135 fishermen from various coastal hamlets in the state would leave from here for Sri Lanka tomorrow morning to bring back the 87 boats seized by the island nation in 2014, a fisheries department official said.

M Gopinath, Assistant Director, Fisheries department, heretold PTI that fishermen from this coastal town, Mandapam, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam would leave from here in 20 boats tomorrow to Sri Lanka for the purpose.

The 87 boats were seized by Sri Lanka at various placesduring 2014 when they were fishing. The fishermen of these boats have already been released.

Recently, a court in Sri lanka had ordered that the boats be handed over to the fishermen.

Gopinath said the Indian Coast Guard would escort the 135 fishermen upto the International Maritime Boundary Line, from where they would be handed over to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard.

On arrival there, they would assess the condition of the boats, get them repaired and then bring them back here, he said.