Sri Lankan Navy Detains 14 Tamil Nadu Fishermen for Alleged Maritime Boundary Violation

Sri Lankan Navy launched a precision midnight operation in the early hours of Monday, detaining 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen after intercepting their mechanized boat in contested waters near Analaitivu island, accusing them of breaching the International Maritime Boundary Line. The fishermen, hailing primarily from coastal villages in Mayiladuthurai district with one from Cuddalore, were swiftly transferred to Kankesanthurai naval base on Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsula for interrogation and formal legal proceedings under maritime trespass laws.

The detained crew has been fully identified by local fisheries authorities as Rajendran (32), Sivadas (20), Kulandaivel (27), Ranjith (30), Raj (30), Kalai (30), Gugan (28), Prasad (32), Akilan (27), Akash (27), Robin (29), Rajkumar (30), and Govind (40) from Mayiladuthurai, along with Barathi (40) from Cuddalore. All 14 were operating from a single fiber-reinforced boat equipped with GPS and standard deep-sea fishing gear when Sri Lankan fast-attack craft surrounded and boarded them without incident.

Their ill-fated journey began on November 3 when the group set sail from Tharangambadi Fishing Harbour for a planned week-long expedition targeting tuna and seer fish in the Palk Bay region. Tragedy struck just a day later on November 4 when their engine failed near Jegathapattinam coast in Pudukkottai district. Fellow fishermen from the area rallied to tow the disabled vessel to shore, where mechanics worked overnight to restore propulsion, allowing the crew to finally depart again from Jegathapattinam on November 8.

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Unaware of shifting patrol patterns, the repaired boat drifted into waters Sri Lanka considers its exclusive economic zone while chasing fish schools near Analaitivu, a small island off Jaffna. Sri Lankan sailors confiscated nets, ice boxes, communication devices, and navigation systems before securing the fishermen in holding areas on deck for the crossing. The vessel itself has been impounded as evidence, likely to be auctioned or destroyed if charges are proven.

This arrest marks the latest flashpoint in a decades-old dispute over traditional fishing grounds in the narrow Palk Strait, where Indian trawlers regularly clash with Sri Lankan naval assertions of post-war maritime control. Tamil Nadu’s fisheries department has formally lodged protests through the Indian Coast Guard, while the Ministry of External Affairs engages Colombo via diplomatic backchannels. Past detentions have seen fishermen released only after prolonged negotiations, boat seizures, and fines, leaving families anxious for swift repatriation.

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