SLN imposes ban on night fishing in Delft

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 February 2007, 11:24 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Delft, an islet of Jaffna, issued a directive Wednesday banning fishing and using boats on the Delft sea from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., fisheries society representatives in Delft said. Ninety percent of the total 7000 population of Delft depend on fishing for their livelihood, and are seriously affected by this ban on fishing.

Delft, under the control of SLN and SLN-backed paramilitaries, has until now escaped SLN restrictions on fishing.

The Delft sea being used by people fleeing from Sri Lanka to South India and the presence of Indian fishing trawlers in the Delft sea may have been the reasons for the new restrictions, fisheries society representatives in Delft said.

The island of Delft does not have any land connections to the Jaffna peninsula, and fish caught by the Delft fishermen are generally brought to be sold in Jaffna market.