Sri Lanka-TN fishermen reach deal

    An agreement has been reached between fishermen of India and Sri Lanka, but is subject to the approval of both the governments.

Briefing reporters about the meeting, U. Arulanandam, a fishermen representative from Ramanathapuram and Sri Lankan representative T. Sadasivam, said there was a consensus among them and the resolutions adopted in the meeting would be forwarded to the governments.

Asked whether both sides were ready to allow fishermen to cross their border for fishing, Mr Sadasivam said such a decision could be taken only by the governments.

The talks between representatives of fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka was held in Chennai on Monday to resolve the issue of fishing rights and put an end to the attack and arrest of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The meeting, presided over by Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister K.A. Jayapal, was attended by Suchitra Durai, joint secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, and Nimal Hettiarachchi, Director General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Sri Lanka.

In the meeting, 24 fishermen from the Indian side and 18 fishermen from the island nation side participated.

The Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner at Chennai Sabarullah Khan also participated in the talks.             (The Hindu)