Colombo, Apr 7 At least 30 Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka on Tuesday and are currently on their way back home, authorities said.
"30 Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka today and are on their way home," the Indian High Commission here said in a post on X.
According to the Sri Lanka Navy, until April 2026, 15 trawlers and 102 Indian fishermen have been apprehended by the Navy.
In 2025, some 346 fishermen had been apprehended in 44 trawlers while poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the Navy said.
The Navy spokesman, Commander Buddika Sampath, told
"It depends on the court procedure," he added.
The issue of fishermen is a contentious one in the relationship between India and Sri Lanka, with Sri Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.