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A 23-year-old Tamil fisherman from Jayanagar, Kuchchaveli was critically injured after the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire off the coast of Trincomalee on Tuesday, 3 June.
The fisherman has since been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Trincomalee General Hospital.
According to local reports, the Navy fired upon a group of fishermen while they were at sea, claiming they were using banned fishing nets and operating beyond the permitted 7-kilometre limit. Several other fishermen were arrested, and their fishing gear was confiscated during the operation.
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The shooting is the latest in a series of confrontations between security forces and Tamil fishermen along the north-eastern coastline.
“Illegal fishing is wrong, opening fire is also wrong, and creating a situation that leads to such actions is equally wrong. Therefore, appropriate action will be taken once the report is received,” said Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Chandrasekaran.
Further details around the incident are yet to emerge.
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The Trincomalee district remains heavily militarised more than 16 years after the end of the armed conflict. Tamil fishing communities in areas like Kuchchaveli have long accused the Sri Lankan Navy of harassment, surveillance, and interference in their daily work, often under the pretext of enforcing fishing regulations.
Rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about the disproportionate and violent methods used by the Sri Lankan military and naval forces in dealing with Tamils in the North-East.