Colombo: An elated President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday ordered the release of all 98 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan custody for alleged poaching, a day after India abstained from voting on a US-backed UN resolution censuring Colombo on its human rights record.
"The President this morning has ordered the release of all Indian fishermen," Wijayananda Herath, a presidential spokesman told a news agency.
"There are 98 fishermen and 62 boats to be released. The President`s instructions have gone to the Attorney General`s Department and the Ministry of Fisheries to make the necessary arrangements for their release," Herath said.
The frequent arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has become a major irritant in bilateral ties.
India was one of the 12 nations that abstained at yesterday`s UNHRC vote on the resolution which has prescribed an international probe into Sri Lanka`s alleged rights abuses.
Rajapaksa hailed India`s abstention as a very welcome and significant development which was very encouraging towards Sri Lanka.
India had supported both previous US-moved resolutions in 2012 and 2013.
The resolution, which called for an international probe into alleged war crimes during the civil war that ended in 2009, was adopted with a 23-12 vote with 12 abstentions, including India, in the 47-member UN Human Rights Council at Geneva yesterday.
Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister GL Peiris also hailed India`s stand.
"India for example, they had voted in favour of the US both in 2012 and 2013. They departed from that course of action this time. This is a very significant development," Peiris said.
India said the resolution imposed an "intrusive approach" of international probe mechanism which was counterproductive apart from being "inconsistent and impractical".
