Three TN fishermen repatriated by coast guard from Sri Lanka

Chennai: Three fishermen from Tamil Nadu, whose boat drifted to Sri Lanka last month, were on Sunday repatriated by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

The fishermen and their boat were handed over to ICG officials by the Sri Lankan authorities and brought home, an ICG release said here.

The boat of three fishermen had on November 27 drifted to Jaffna. On being brought to Indian shores, they were handed over to the state fisheries authorities.

"The Indian coast Guard in the Eastern region has so far repatriated 160 IFB (Indian Fishing Boats) with 1,021 crew during the year 2014," the release added.

During the year, Sri Lanka has released hundreds of fishermen detained by its navy for crossing into its waters.