Sri Lankan navy arrests 9 Indian fishermen for poaching

COLOMBO, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's navy arrested nine Indian fishermen who were poaching in the country's territorial waters on Tuesday morning, the navy said in a statement.

The arrests were made during a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers poaching off Delft Island in northern Sri Lanka, the navy said.

The navy also seized two trawlers that the Indians were traveling in, the statement said, adding that the seized trawlers and the Indian fishermen would be handed over to the local authority for onward legal proceedings.

With this arrest, the navy has seized a total of 37 Indian poaching trawlers and 261 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters so far in 2024, the navy said.