Charles Haviland Colombo

	Indian Fishermen families protested about alleged harresments by SL Navy

Diplomats are in talks to try and secure their release or bail. Reports from Chennai in southern India say at least 2,000 people have been arrested as they demonstrated against Sri Lanka over the incident.

Captured by Sri Lankan fishermen

Reports from Jaffna in the island’s far north say the large group of Indian fishermen were surrounded by Sri Lankan fishermen after making an incursion across the maritime boundary.

This sort of behaviour is not acceptable between neighbouring countries Indian Prime Minister

The reports say their 18 trawler vessels were also seized. They were then handed to the local police and taken into custody.

It’s the latest and one of the biggest incidents of tensions at sea between the two close neighbours.

Tension in Indo Sri Lanka relations

The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said Delhi took a serious view of the episode. “This sort of behaviour is not acceptable between neighbouring countries,” he said.

Fishermen in northern Sri Lanka recently told the BBC they were unhappy that Indians using big trawlers were entering Sri Lankan seas and overfishing. But in late January distraught Indian villagers accused the Sri Lankan navy of killing two of their fishermen at sea.

Accusations of harressment

That incident prompted the Indian foreign secretary to visit Colombo, expressing her country’s deep concern.

The two countries now have a “joint working group” on fishing but it seems it has a lot of work to do to prevent similar incidents recurring.