By Shamindra Ferdinando
India continued to detain about 70 Sri Lankan fishermen and their boats, fishing industry sources said adding that families of the detained were planning to demonstrate outside the Indian High Commission on January 18.

They remained in prisons in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman island. At least 25 Sri Lankan multi-day fishing boats too had been detained, the sources said adding that several Indian organisations were helpful in looking after the welfare of the men in detention.

Some of these multi-day boats had been seized by the Indian Coast Guard after they strayed into Indian waters, the sources said. However, some have been detained for illegally fishing in Indian waters, the sources added.

A spokesman for Jathika Dheevara Sahayogithawaya, an NGO engaged in the fisheries sector said that about 60 fishermen who had been jailed in India for several months were released last month. But, many continued to languish in Indian jails, he said stressing that some officials appeared to have no interest in the men in Indian custody.

Families of detained men twice demonstrated outside the Fisheries and the Aquatic Resources Ministry last year, urging the authorities to take immediate steps to secure the release of prisoners.

Industry sources said that they hope that the ministry would succeed in negotiating "a safe sea corridor" for Sri Lankan fishermen to allow them to move across Indian waters to international waters. The ministry said that negotiations were continuing and they were hopeful of having an agreement with India as soon as possible.

Last month various issues related to Indian and Sri Lankan fishing communities were discussed when Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in New Delhi, Foreign Ministry sources said.

During these discussions, Singh has expressed serious concern at Sri Lankan security forces firing on Indian fishing trawlers, the sources said.

The minister stressed the need to avoid attacks that have resulted in deaths among the Indian fishing community.

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.

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.