Pudukkottai: The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen near Jaffna Peninsula on charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters. The arrests come within days of the release of five TN fishermen who were pardoned by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa after having been sentenced to death along with three Sri Lankans for smuggling heroin.
State fisheries department officials said the fishermen belonged to Rameswaram and Jagadapattinam in Pudukottai district.
Three boats of the fishermen were also seized by the Lankan navy personnel. The fishermen have been taken to Karai Nagar in Jaffna, according to information reaching here.
There are already 24 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan jails and that number could go up to 38 with the latest arrests.
