COLOMBO ‒ Sea piracy targeting fishermen in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province has intensified, with allegations that members of the security forces are also involved in facilitating the attacks, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MP M.L.A.M. Hizbullah told Parliament on Wednesday (23).
Responding to Fisheries Minister R. Chandrasekar’s reply to a question he had previously raised under Standing Order 27(2) in Parliament, Hizbullah said fishermen in the Eastern Province had been subjected to repeated robberies at sea for nearly a decade, but that the incidents had recently become more frequent and had spread to a wider area.
“Just two days ago, in the Valaichchenai–Vakarai area, fishermen who had spent several days at sea setting nets to catch large fish were attacked by a group of people in small boats with their faces covered,” Hisbullah said, alleging that the attackers threatened the fishermen, cut their fishing nets and stole their catch.
“They told the fishermen, ‘Go and complain wherever you like. We are not going to stop this,’” he said, alleging that some members of the security forces were also involved in the robberies.
According to Hizbullah, the attacks, which were previously confined to a few villages, had now spread to several areas of the Eastern Province.
He said small boats were being used to target fishermen returning to shore after spending several days at sea, particularly when they were carrying valuable catches worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.
Noting that the small boats used in the attacks were operating without adequate restrictions, he alleged some of the stolen fish was handed over to security personnel who had facilitated the activities.
The repeated attacks, he said, had severely affected fishermen’s livelihoods, with victims losing both their catch and fishing equipment.
The MP called for a pass system to be introduced for small boats, similar to the system already applicable to larger fishing vessels, to enable authorities to monitor and regulate their movements.
He urged the government to take immediate measures to curb sea piracy, strengthen monitoring of small boats and introduce an effective registration or pass system to protect fishermen operating in the Eastern Province.
-ENCL
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