Sri Lankan Vessel Collides With Indian Boat Near Katchatheevu Island, Fisherman Killed

One fisherman was killed and another went missing after their boat capsized mid-sea following collision with the Sri Lankan navy ship near Katchatheevu Island in Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram on Thursday.

The mechanised fishing boat capsized when the Sri Lankan navy attempted to arrest them on a charge of illegal fishing about 5 nautical miles north of Katchatheevu Island on Thursday morning, a senior fisheries official said.

Out of the four Indian fishermen who were on board the vessel, one was killed, one went missing and remaining two were rescued and brought ashore to Kankesanthurai. A search is underway for the missing Indian fisherman.

Meanwhile, Rameshwaram fishermen and their families have staged a protest over the incident.

The External Affairs ministry also called in Sri Lanka’s acting high commissioner, Priyanga Wickremesinghe, on Thursday and lodged a strong protest over the incident.

“The Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi was called in today morning to the Ministry of External Affairs and a strong protest was registered over the incident. We expressed our shock and anguish at the unfortunate loss of life,” the MEA statement said.

“Our High Commissioner in Colombo will also be raising the matter with the Sri Lankan government later today,” it added.

Indian Consulate officials in Jaffna have been asked to urgently go to Kankesanthurai to support the fishermen and their families, it added.

“A collision was reported early this morning between a Sri Lankan naval vessel and an Indian fishing boat 5 nautical miles north of Katchatheevu Island. Indian Consulate Officials in Jaffna have been instructed to immediately rush to Kankesanthurai and extend all possible assistance to the fishermen and their families,” it added.

Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister DR S Jaishankar urging to take cognisance of the matter.

“On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu, we bring to the kind attention of our Hon EAM Thiru @DrSJaishankar on a terrible incident that led to the death of our Tamil Fisherman in the High Seas. We also request the kind intervention of our Hon EAM for finding one missing fisherman & the early release of the detainees,” he said in a letter addressed to Jaishankar.

Dozens of Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen are arrested by the two countries each year on charges of violating the maritime boundary or illegal fishing.