Certain local media recently described the arrival of the several Indians in order to identify the body of an Indian fisherman as breaching immigration laws.

Sri Lanka Navy said that following an Indian High Commission request the Sri Lankan Navy had done search operations on a missing Indian fishing boat that had had sailed from Rameshwaram on 2nd April 2011.

“A body was found west of the Delft islet on April 6 off the Island of Delft and the body was subsequently handed over to Kayts Police. As there was suspicion that this body could be of a member of the missing Indian trawler, Indian authorities were informed accordingly.

There was a requirement for relatives to identify the dead body and considering the urgency of the matter both the governments agreed to transfer the relatives of the crew members of the missing trawler by sea in keeping with the past practice of handling the issues related to fishermen and as a gesture of good will, the Sri Lanka Navy further stated.

On 9th April 2011 Sri Lanka Navy took over six relatives of the crew members from the Indian Coast Guard vessel at the International Maritime Boundary Line and transferred them to Jaffna also in liaison with the Sri Lanka Police and the Consulate of India in Jaffna, to facilitate positive identification of the dead body and for subsequent formalities and last rights.

Hence the Sri Lanka Navy is of the opinion that this incident of humanitarian assistance arranged by both Governments should not have been given the interpretation of a case of violating the country’s immigration laws.