Fishermen call off two-day strike

Fishermen of the island today announced the withdrawl of their two-day fishing boycott from tomorrow, which was called to press their charter of demands.
The protest is being withdrawn from tomorrow keeping in mind the livelihood of the fishermen, leaders of fishermen associations P Sesuraja and S Emerit told reporters.
They said the fishermen would stage a "massive" agitation on July 28 to draw the attention of the Centre and the state government towards their demands including the release of fishermen and boats from Sri Lankan custody.
The fishermen were also protesting the alleged cartelisation by five fishing companies and fixing lower prices for the prawn catch and demanding steps for fair price.

Emerit said the Centre should take steps to retrieve Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka, so that fishermen could fish in their traditional areas.