Chennai: Sri Lanka on Wednesday described as false
allegations of persistent attacks by its Navy on Tamil Nadu
fishermen and said these were aimed at driving a wedge between
the two countries and their navies.
"The Sri Lankan navy, after conducting investigations
into these alleged incidents, categorically denies that they
were engaged in any unlawful and inhumane activities," Sri
Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India, V
Krishnamoorthy told reporters here.
The Sri Lankan envoy denied the allegations that the
Indian fishermen were being attacked inside Indian waters and
said with authority that no such incidents have taken place.
These "false" allegations are apparently aimed at making
a "dent" in the friendly relations between the two countries
and damage the good relations between their navies, he said.
Citing a meeting with some representatives of fishermen
bodies from the state, held at his office, he said "they
(representatives) affirmed that though the Sri Lanka Navy
systematically bar their entry into Sri Lankan waters, the
Navy never harass them or arrest them unlawfully."
He said Lankan fishermen were also being held when they
venture into Indian waters and subjected to due procedures.
On LTTE, he said the outfit had become "a myth" as its
founder V Prabhakaran was "no more."
About the issue of Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India
to Sri Lanka in 1974 under a pact, he said it was part of
Lanka.
Bureau Report
