Jaffna peninsula fishermen exploited by SL government men

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 02:26 GMT]
Some influential Sri Lanka government politicians and Sinhala traders from South are exploiting the fishermen of Jaffna peninsula not allowing them to take their catches South for sale, Fisheries Societies in Jaffna peninsula accuse. Fish now being caught in large quantity exceed local consumption and the fishermen are forced to dry them as the export to South is a monopoly of SL government politicians like SL Minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters, they said.

The persons close to Douglas Devananda make millions of rupees buying fish and dried fish at a much cheaper rate from local fishermen and selling them at a higher price in the South.

The profit thus made is enormous in exporting delicacies like lobsters caught in large quantity particularly in the islets of Jaffna occupied and controlled by Sri Lanka Navy.