News
Navy Commander explains persistent problem of large number of Indian vessels poaching in SL waters
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Sri Lanka has a 5,000-boat strong high seas fishing fleet which can go up to 2,000 nautical miles away from Sri Lanka, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera said.In contrast, the Indian fishing industry, while not as technologically advanced, has expanded to a point of being unsustainable, he said.
“They have a large number of boats, but they can operate only in their coastal seas and then they poach in our territorial waters using disastrous mechanized bottom trawling techniques,” he said.
Vice Admiral Perera highlighted that the Indian fishing industry has expanded beyond a sustainable capacity. Typically, Indian fishermen, operating within their own waters, are permitted to fish on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. He noted that, in a few weeks, they will suspend fishing for a three-month period, allowing fish to breed and replenish the ocean.
“However, Indian fishing boats who claim to engage in high seas fishing face no such restrictions. However, instead of going into the high seas these vessels come to Sri Lankan waters and poach here. The area around Delft Island and in the five to 10 nautical mile shallow seas off Point Pedro have a lot of crabs and prawns. This is a high value yield. Sri Lankan vessels go into the high seas and catch tuna, which brings a lot of money. During meetings with Indian counterparts, our Ministry officials asked Indians why they can’t also follow suit,” he said.
Vice Admiral Perera emphasized that Sri Lankan fishing is subject to rigorous regulations. Fishermen based in Sri Lanka’s North are not equipped for high-seas operations; instead, their focus remains on harvesting prawns and crabs, the Navy commander said.
“Compared to South, East and North Central provinces where fishermen are more likely to engage in high seas fishing, there are only a few fisheries harbours in the North. Myliddy Fishery Harbour is the only place the Northern fishermen must dock large boats. One also needs to have other supporting industries in place for high seas fishing, and these, too, are lacking in the North,” he said.
Indian fishermen also destroy large quantities of equipment of Northern fishermen, he said, adding that he Navy has apprehended 15 Indian trawlers along with 110 of their fishermen in Sri Lankan waters so far in 2024.
“This has not put an end to Indian poaching. When we make arrests, they stop coming for a week or two but return in numbers later. On Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays there are about 400 Indian fishing vessels poaching in Sri Lankan waters around Katchatheevu Island. Another 200 operate around KKS and in the East on those days. So, on average around 600 Indian vessels poach in our waters on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. We can’t stop them by using excessive force,” he said.
The Navy commander added that the Navy can’t stop such a large number of Indian vessels with three or four boats. This can only be stopped through a change in the way Indians practice their craft.
“It is not practically possible to seize hundreds of fishing vessels. Also these arrests lead to political implications. We must think of everything.”
The relationship between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have deteriorated, too, he said. However, the tensions so far are limited to South India and Sri Lanka’s North.
The Navy commander went on to say that this is not an indication of tensions between India and Sri Lanka. “But the solution to this problem seems far off unless the Indians change their practices,” he said.
In a swift search and rescue (SAR) operation, the Sri Lanka Navy on 22 Jun 2026 rendered assistance to a one-day fishing trawler that had failed to return to its intended destination.
Reportedly, the fishing trawler and its 02 crew members ran into trouble due to adverse weather conditions off the north coast of the island. The rescue mission was launched
immediately following an alert from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regarding the overdue trawler.
Responding to the distress call, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo, coordinated the deployment of naval craft for the SAR operation.
During the operation, naval personnel located the distressed trawler and its 02 fishermen in the seas off the Analaitivu Island and they were brought to safety.
Maintaining a round-the-clock vigil, the Sri Lanka Navy, through the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to deploy assets and extend vital lifesaving assistance to the naval and fishing communities facing perils within the Sri
Lankan Search and Rescue Region.
The NPP government has not taken a final decision regarding filling of the vacancies in the judiciary.
A group of Opposition MPs, led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, on 12 June, requested Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremeratne to take up the issue of judicial vacancies with President Dissanayake. Opposition sources said that there were four vacancies, each in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the inordinate delay had adversely affected the judiciary.
Government sources indicated that there was no change in the status quo as regards filling of vacancies. Referring to the government proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, authoritative sources said that no final decision had been taken yet.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Island that they would raise the issue in Parliament this week.
He said that the deliberate delay in making appointments to superior courts and the move to extend the retirement age couldn’t be taken separately.
The MP noted that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Lawyers’ Collective, the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, Colombo Magistrate’s Court Lawyers’ Association and the Bar Association of Badulla had opposed the government move.
There hadn’t been any public statements in support of the government move, MP Jayasekera said, urging the government to end uncertainty in the judiciary.
by Shamindra Ferdinando
SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has invited the UNP and other political parties to join his party. Premadasa, who is also the leader of the Opposition, has emphasised that the UNP and the SJB could reach a consensus on policies but his party wouldn’t, under any circumstances, accept whatever formula to share positions. Premadasa said so, speaking to the media over the weekend, after meeting the Mahanayaka Thera of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera.
A statement issued by the Opposition Leader’s Office quoted MP Premadasa as having extended an invitation to all political parties to give up extremist policies and join the SJB.
The SJB leader alleged that the NPP government feared facing elections and that was the reason for the inordinate delay in holding Provincial Council polls. PC polls were last held in 2012, 2013 and 2014, on a staggered basis. Premadasa said that if PC polls were held his party would definitely win the majority of PCs.Premadasa also urged the government to reduce electricity tariffs and fuel prices.
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