Indian fisherman killed by SLNavy

(February 11, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) A Tamil Nadu fisherman was killed when the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire at his boat while fishing close to the Kankesanthurai high-risk zone in north Lanka, according to reports reaching here. Official sources said three fishermen had left in their boat from Jegadapattinam in Pudukottai district Saturday morning and were fishing close to Kankesanthurai, where the Sri Lankan Navy has a strategic base. The Lankan Navy first issued a warning and soon afterwards opened fire killing one of them, Thangapandi (35) instantly. The other two in the boat fled in the vessel carrying the body.

“The incident happened at around four in the evening and the boat reached Jegadapattinam only at 9.30 in the night. At a modest speed of eight nautical miles an hour, the fleeing fishermen would have covered 40-45 nautical miles to reach home and that confirms the incident happened close to Kankesanthurai,” a source explained.

However, the fishermen at Jegadapattinam maintained that the Lankan Navy had attacked Thangapandi’s boat well within the Indian waters. Chief minister M. Karunanidhi in a statement condemned the ‘indiscriminate’ firing by the Lankan Navy resulting in the death of the young fisherman of Jegadapattinam. Announcing a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to his family, he said he would initiate efforts to get the Indian government take up the issue with Colombo so as to prevent recurrence of such attacks. (10-02-2008)