SRILANKA NAVY RESCUE INDIAN FISHERMEN IN DISTRESS OFF DELFT ISLAND IN JAFFNA

(By Walter Jayawardhana)

The Sri Lanka Navy rescued Indian fishermen who were clinging on to their lives on ice boxes from their damaged fishing vessel off the Delft island off Jaffna in the Sri Lanka territorial waters , the Navy announced.
The rescue was done at 5.00 a.m. ,July 19 the navy announcement said.
The fishermen ,numbering four reportedly told their rescuers that their fishing boat met with an accident about four kilometers South of Delft Island and their boat was capsized.
They reportedly told the Sri Lanka navy they saved their lives by jumping into the sea and was clinging on to the ice boxes from the boat which were by then floating on the water.
They had left for fishing from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu ,India on the 18th around 1100 hrs. .
The Sri Lanka Navy is on constant patrol in the area looking out for LTTE terrorists smuggling arms ammunition and narcotic drugs into the country.
They saw the Indian fishermen in distress and immediately went for their rescue. Everyone of them was taken onboard the navy military vessel , the navy said.
The Media Center for national Security said, 'It is not unusual for Indian fishermen to move into Sri Lanka territorial waters in search of fish and been in distress. Although these fishermen are illegally engaged in fishing outside their territorial waters, the Navy has always moved in to help them on humanitarian considerations whenever there was a need to do so.
'There is however a great danger involved in Indian fishermen fishing in our territorial waters as it is also not unusual for the LTTE terrorist boats to take the opportunity to mingle with Indian fishing boats as a cover to conduct the smuggling of contraband across the Palk Strait to the North which is a threat to security.'
The Sri Lanka navy and the Indian Navy and Coast Guard constantly patrol the Northern waters as a measure to curb arms smuggling activities of the LTTE.
Both Sri Lankan and Indian navies have rescued fishermen in distress in the area in the past.
The Sri Lanka Navy said, 'Recently, allegations have been made of harassment, abductions and killings of Indian fishermen at sea. Several such incidents, which surfaced recently, have proven the fact that the LTTE are clearly responsible for them. Sri Lanka Navy, in accordance with its role as a responsible national defence force, always acts with restrain and exercises maximum precaution at sea. Many Indian fishermen rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy have expressed their gratitude to SLN for coming to their rescue.'
The navy said on an earlier occasion, 'An SLN Dwora on patrol rescued an Indian fishing boat with its crew, seven nautical miles north east of Kankasanthurei, on the 14th August 2007 around 0600 hrs. Preliminary investigations revealed that the boat had run out of fuel and drifted in to the Sri Lankan waters. The boat with its crew was towed to the KKS Harbour. The Indian crew, four in number, were provided with medical assistance, food and accommodation. The boat with its crew was later released at the International Maritime Boundary line (IMBL) after providing sufficient fuel from Sri Lankan Navy for her to return to India on the same day.'