COLOMBO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan navy said on Thursday that it has arrested 16 Indian fishermen who were poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
Navy spokesman Akram Alavi told Xinhua that the navy assisted the coast guard to arrest the Indian fishermen at two separate locations.
He said that the fishermen were arrested south of Delft Islands and off Mannar, both located North of Sri Lanka.
The navy spokesman said that three boats used by the Indians were also seized.
The fishermen and boats were to be handed over to the Jaffna Fisheries Inspectorate and the Mannar Assistant Directorate of Fisheries once being brought ashore.
Akram Alavi said the latest arrest follows the arrest of 17 Indian fishermen two days earlier.
Sri Lanka and India are yet to find a permanent solution to the issue of fishermen poaching in the seas of both countries which has lasted for several years.
