The Sri Lankan navy denied firing shots at Tamil Nadu fishermen accused of crossing into Sri Lankan waters.
“We have in the past, and still continue to discourage Indian poachers in the Palk Strait using minimum force but have stopped short of firing on them," a senior naval official was quoted by Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper as saying.
"Indian fishermen were always treated in a humane manner and despite several warnings Indian fishermen continued to illegally cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)," he reportedly added.
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The navy's comments comes days after the Indian External Affairs state minister, V K Singh, said that there had been six attacks against Tamil Nadu fishermen in the past week.
“Keeping in mind the humanitarian and livelihood dimensions of the issue, [the Indian] Government has impressed on the Sri Lankan Navy to act with restraint, not to fire on our fishermen and treat our fishermen in a humane manner," Mr Singh said on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, defended the navy's firing at Indian fishermen as a legitimate response to an intruder.
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