New Delhi: Sri Lanka is expected to seek fresh engagements with India to secure an ‘innocent passage’ through its territorial waters for Sri Lankan fishermen to enter the Arabian Sea for multi-day fisheries.According to Daily Mirror, currently, Sri Lankan fishing vessels reach the Arabian Sea after embarking on a long journey via Maldives. However, the passage through India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will save them 400 nautical miles.Fisheries minister Douglas Devananda told Daily Mirror that the government will ask for India’s support to secure a passage through its EEZ for Sri Lankan fishing vessels.“It will be discussed when President Ranil Wickremesinghe visits New Delhi later this month,” he said.Innocent passage is a concept in the law of the sea that allows for a vessel to pass through the territorial waters of another State, subject to certain restrictions.The developments come amid news of Sri Lankan fishermen getting arrested by the Indian Coast Guard when they unlawfully enter India’s EEZ on the way to the Arabian Sea.The minister further said that the issue of unlawful fishing in the Sri Lankan waters by fishermen from the southern part of India continues unabated. He added that the government is trying to resolve it through diplomatic means.“We are planning to get it resolved through diplomatic means. When President Wickremesinghe visits New Delhi, he is planning to discuss it . Besides, we need to brief Tamil Nadu people about our fisheries issue. We are planning to arrange a visit by a group of Tamil MPs from the north to Tamil Nadu to brief the chief minister, the opposition leader and others concerned that bottom trawling by their fishermen has affected the livelihood of our fishermen. Otherwise, it is not an issue involving the Sri Lankan Navy and Tamil Nadu fishermen. In Tamil Nadu, perception is that the Sri Lankan Navy creates problems for their fishermen,” he said.Daily Mirror reported, quoting the minister, that the damage caused to the fishing community in Sri Lanka because of the South Indian fishermen using illegal methods to catch around 18 kilos of shrimps from the Lankan waters is immeasurable.He said that over the last five years, an estimated loss of Rs 70 crore has been caused to the fishing gear of the local fisheries community because of bottom trawling.India extended nearly $4 billion to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis. It included a $1 billion credit line offered to purchase essential food items and pharmaceuticals.Therefore, using the goodwill between the two countries – considering India’s humanitarian assistance to the nation during its economic crisis – Sri Lanka is now planning to secure this passage.
