Tamil fishermen issue can be resolved via dialogue, says Sri Lanka minister

Sri Lanka International Monetary Co-Operation Minister Sarath Amunugama on Wednesday said that the issue surrounding the five Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court, can be resolved through a dialogue between New Delhi and Colombo.

"We can't interfere with the judiciary. This is a problem which will be resolved by talking to each other. Nobody can blame us for the judiciary decision. I am sure that this matter will be resolved," Amunugama told ANI, while attending the seventh South Asia Economic Summit, which is being attended by ministers, economists and the representatives of all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.

"It is up to the executive body to decide whether sentence should be carried out. However, there have been no hangings in Sri Lanka for the past 10 years," he added.

Speaking on the issue of a Chinese submarine docking at a Sri Lankan port, despite National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's statement that any presence of a Chinese submarine in Sri Lanka would be unacceptable to India, Amunugama said that its presence was not a threatening situation.

"Those submarines were returning. This is not a threatening situation," he said.

The Colombo High Court had earlier this month sentenced five Indian fishermen to death on charges of drug smuggling. They had been arrested on a boat in the seas off northern Jaffna's Delft islet.

The Indian fishermen claim that they have been falsely implicated in the case.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has strongly condemned the Sri Lankan court's decision.