India urges Sri Lanka to free detained fishermen and boats early

Colombo,UPDATED: Aug 6, 2026 00:28 IST

India on Wednesday asked Sri Lanka to cooperate in the early release of Indian fishermen and their boats detained by Sri Lankan authorities, and said the issue should be handled with a humanitarian approach. The matter figured prominently during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's talks with the Sri Lankan leadership during his official visit to Colombo, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Misri, who was in Colombo on a day-long visit, held separate meetings with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja. It was his first stand-alone visit to Sri Lanka as Foreign Secretary.

During the talks, Misri discussed issues related to fishermen and sought Sri Lanka's cooperation for the early release of fishermen and boats detained in the island nation, the MEA said. "He also requested that even as bilateral mechanisms continue to work towards finding a resolution of the various issues, a humanitarian approach keeping in view the livelihood requirements of fishermen should continue to guide our approach," the statement said.

The fishermen issue remains a contentious one in India-Sri Lanka ties, with several alleged incidents involving the Sri Lankan Navy seizing boats and, at times, firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait over claims of illegal entry into Sri Lankan territorial waters. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries, and arrests are frequent as fishermen often inadvertently cross into each other's waters.

In the last week of July, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested nine Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters. According to official data, 128 Indian fishermen had been arrested and 18 trawlers seized by the Sri Lankan Navy this year as of April 15, underlining the continued strain over the long-pending issue.

With PTI Inputs

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