Four Andhra fishermen released from Sri Lankan jail return home

Amaravati, Sep 30 (IANS) Four fishermen from Andhra Pradesh, who were jailed in Sri Lanka for 52 days after drifting to the island nation due to a navigation error, returned home on Tuesday.

K. Srinu Venkateswar, Karri Nookaraj Borriya, Chanda Nageswara Rao and Brahmanandam reached Kakinada by boat. Kakinada MP Uday Srinivas and local MLA Kondababu received them.

Happy on returning home after nearly two months, the fishermen thanked the TDP-led coalition government for its efforts for their release.

The boat carrying the fishermen sailed from the Sri Lankan shore for Kakinada on September 27.

The fishermen had gone to Nagapattinam to purchase a second-hand fishing trawler, but while returning home, they drifted into Sri Lankan waters due to a GPS error.

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested the fishermen on August 4 on charges of illegally entering their waters, and since then, they had been lodged in the Jaffna Jail.

A civil court in Jafna on September 12 had ordered the release of Andhra fishermen.

Following the initiative taken by Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries K. Atchannaidu and Kakinada MP, officials of AP Bhavan in Delhi contacted the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

Andhra Pradesh Resident Commissioner Arja Srikanth also made efforts through the Indian Coast Guard office in Delhi.

The Sri Lankan Coast Guard handed over the fishermen to the Indian Coast Guard at Mandapam Camp on September 26, and from there they left for Kakinada.

The fishermen were repatriated through the sea route as per the Sri Lankan rules. The Indian Coast Guard unit escorted them to Kakinada.

Minister Atchannaidu expressed his delight over the safe return of fishermen. He had taken up the issue with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and made arrangements for their return.

Officials said if the state government had not responded swiftly, the fishermen would have had to spend six months in jail.

--IANS

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