Sri Lanka is worried about the death of a sailor during an operation to capture a trawler, and has expressed this to India.

The recent death of a naval sailor during an operation to seize an Indian trawler has caused concern for Sri Lanka, who has raised the issue with India. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Delhi, Kshenuka Seneviratne, personally conveyed this message to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday, according to sources in the foreign ministry.

The incident occurred on June 25 off the coast of Point Pedro in the north, when a senior sailor from the Navy Special Boat Squadron sustained critical injuries while trying to seize an Indian trawler engaged in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan territorial waters. Despite being rushed to the Teaching Hospital in Jaffna, the sailor unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. The Sri Lankan Navy stated that the sailor's injuries were a result of the Indian trawler's aggressive maneuvers to avoid being seized.

As a result, 10 Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawler was seized. They have been charged with the murder of the sailor and causing damage to Naval property, and their case is set to be heard on July 22 in Mallakum, Jaffna. A post-mortem examination revealed that the sailor's death was an accident caused by spinal cord damage, according to the Sri Lankan Navy's statement.

In a separate incident on Monday, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 25 Indian fishermen on four trawlers off the Delft islet in the north. This adds to the ongoing issue of fishermen from both countries frequently being arrested for unintentionally entering into each other's waters. Last month alone, the Sri Lankan Navy seized 28 Indian poaching trawlers and 214 Indian fishermen, handing them over to authorities for legal proceedings.

The fishing dispute has been a source of contention between India and Sri Lanka, with previous incidents of Lankan Navy personnel firing at Indian fishermen and seizing their boats in the Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water that separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka. Both countries consider the Palk Strait to be a rich fishing ground, leading to frequent incidents of trespassing. As the issue continues to strain the relationship between the two nations, it remains to be seen how it will be resolved.

[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]