Govt compromising on fishermen issue: Lankan opposition

Sri Lankan opposition party JVP today accused the Maithripala Sirisena government of failing to stop the large number of Indian trawlers and compromising on the fishermen issue on which the livelihoods of the people in Northern areas depend.
"These are the resources of our northern people. They have no other livelihoods such as employment in big factories," Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the JVP who is also the chief opposition whip in parliament, said in Jaffna.
He said the government was incapable of stopping the large number of Indian trawlers who breach the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and do fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

"Not only they (Indians) do illegal fishing they destroy the environment," Dissanayake said referring to bottom trawling techniques used by the Indians.
"We now understand that the government is to allow certain days of a month with an exclusive zone for the Indians to do their illegal fishing. This must be stopped," he added.
Several days ago the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in answer to Dissanayake in parliament has said that the government was looking at alternate ways to stop bottom trawling by the Indians.

He said the views of Sri Lankan fisher community would be sought in arriving at any solution.

The issue of poaching by both sides, mostly by the Indians in Sri Lankan waters, has been discussed at very highest levels between the two governments.
The JVP also remains opposed to the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperative Agreement (ETCA) between the two countries.