By Shamindra Ferdinando
India has expressed serious concern at Sri Lankan security forces’ firing on their trawlers, when Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in New Delhi on Friday, officials said yesterday.

Minister Singh has stressed the need to avoid attacks that have resulted in deaths among the Indian fishing community, they said. The ministers discussed ways and means of avoiding incidents involving Indian fishing boats and Sri Lankan security forces, officials said adding that they have noticed a clear decline in such incidents this year.

Minister Kadirgamar who was in New Delhi to discuss various issues relating to SAARC and brief the Indian government of the ongoing efforts to end the North-East terrorism, has discussed the problems faced by fishermen from both sides, with Minister Singh.

There had been cases of security forces attacking Indian fishing trawlers carrying fuel, medicine and other supplies to terrorists when they were found within Sri Lankan waters.

Security forces said that over the years, dozens of Indians had been arrested but were released within weeks and sent back to India.

However, India continued to detain about 70 Sri Lankan fishermen and their boats after they were seized by Indian Coast Guard vessels, officials said. These multi-day boats had been seized after they strayed into Indian waters, they said.

A spokesman for Jathika Deevara Sahayogithawaya , a NGO engaged in the fisheries sector yesterday said that 56 fishermen who had been jailed in India for several months were released on Friday. They returned to Colombo the day the ministers were having discussions in New Delhi, he said adding that Indian authorities continued to detain boats which carried the released men along with the skippers of them.

The spokesman said that at least 70 fishermen remained in prisons in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman island. At least 25 Sri Lankan multi-day fishing boats too had been detained, he said adding that several Indian organisations were helpful in securing the release of those who returned last week.

"We held several demonstrations opposite the Fisheries and the Aquatic Resources Ministry and the Indian High Commission, Colombo this year," the spokesman said.

At the end of talks in New Delhi, minister Singh agreed to a Sri Lankan proposal to send a special delegation to explore ways and means of securing the release of detained fishermen.