Lankan fishermen plan to hold protest rally: SL Minister

Fishermen in Sri Lanka would stage a rally to protest against their Indian counterparts allegedly snapping their fishing nets and causing inconvenience
to them, Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda today said.
Lankan fisherman have planned to hold a rally soon in this regard, he said on the sidelines of the St Antony's Church festival, which ended today at Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Straits ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974.
More than 2,500 people, mostly fishermen from this coastal town, participated in the two-day annual festival.
Referring to the pressure from political parties in Tamil Nadu, including ruling AIADMK and arch rival DMK, on India to support the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka on alleged human rights violations at the March UNHCR meet in Geneva, he said "we will wait and see and review the same later."

On the fishermen issue, he said India was helping both Lankan fishermen and the Tamils in the island republic by providing training in fishing and other aspects.

He said if Chief Minister Jayalalithaa did not take action against fishermen for crossing into Lankan waters, then Sri Lankan fishermen would stage protests.
Devananda told fishermen from India and Sri Lanka, who had come for the festival, that he had written to Jayalalithaa stating that fishermen from both countries should be called for talks to solve their problems.
Though he had called Indian fishermen for talks with their Lankan counterparts, they did not turn up yesterday, he said.

High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Ashok Kantha also participated in the festival, official sources said.
The pilgrims, who returned here after the festival concluded today, said the Sri Lankan government had offered food and drinking water. The festival started with hoisting of flags by priests Amalraj and Soundranayakan. There was a joint prayer by Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen.
Meanwhile a Tamil Nadu fisherman, who was injured after he fell down, was admitted to the Jaffna Government Hospital and his condition was improving, sources said.
Two other fishermen had also been taken to Jaffna to help the injured fisherman at the Hospital.