Negotiations for the release of six Sri Lankan fishermen arrested and detained in India remain stalled after the boat owner failed to appear in an Indian court.

“We have been negotiating to bring these fishermen home and the only problem is that the boat owner did not appear to facilitate their release,” Caritas Sri Lanka public relations officer S.P. Anthonymuthu said.

The men have been held for eight months.

The Indian Security Council had asked the owner of the boat to sign documents admitting ownership of the boat. The fishermen’s detention has now been extended since this legal requirement was not met, Anthonymuthu noted.

Gayani Deslika and her 18-month-old daughter are still awaiting the return of husband and father Sameera Nilanka, 23, who left the western coastal town of Chilaw on a trip that normally takes three or four weeks.

“Now we depend on our parents’ care,” she told ucanews.com tearfully.

Caritas Sri Lanka National Director of Caritas Sri Lanka, Father George Sigamony arranged with his Caritas Orissa counterpart, Father Barghes Marthamana to visit the six jailed fishermen.

The issue of Sri Lankan fishermen operating in Indian waters arrested is a regular subject of discussion between the two governments and politicians are seeking a “permanent solution to the problem,” the Caritas officials said.

Reports indicate that over 400 fishermen on both sides have been killed by coast guards over the last two decades.

According to Caritas Sri Lanka, there are presently nearly 80 Sri Lankan fishermen in different Indian jails. Many inadvertently wander into Indian territorial waters as there are no boundary markers at sea.

 
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