May 22, Colombo (LNW): Eleven Indian fishermen who had been detained in Sri Lanka since early January returned to Tamil Nadu late on Wednesday, bringing closure to a months-long diplomatic effort involving both New Delhi and Colombo.
The men, all from Rameswaram, had ventured into the Palk Strait for what was intended to be a routine fishing expedition on January 11, only to find themselves in custody after allegedly breaching Sri Lanka’s maritime border.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the Sri Lankan Coast Guard intercepted the fishermen after they were believed to have crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
The group’s fishing vessels were confiscated, and the crew was taken ashore and later placed in judicial custody. Their detention drew concern from local communities in southern India, where cross-border fishing incidents have long been a point of contention.
The Tamil Nadu state administration, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, promptly called upon the Indian central government to intervene. In the weeks that followed, diplomatic efforts intensified.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo worked in tandem with the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to negotiate the fishermen’s release.
On May 14, after more than four months in Sri Lankan custody, the group was officially released. The handover to Indian authorities was conducted with due protocol, followed by consular assistance in preparing travel documents for their safe passage home.
The incident once again underscored the sensitive nature of maritime boundaries in the region, where small-scale fishermen often risk detention due to the ambiguity and proximity of national borders in shared fishing zones.
With Indian and Sri Lankan authorities periodically agreeing to release detained fishermen as a gesture of goodwill, long-term solutions to prevent such occurrences happens to have remained elusive.
