Stop harassing fishermen, Court tells SLN commander

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 January 2003, 15:43 GMT]
The Muttur Magistrate Mr. T.L.A.Manaf Monday instructed the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to assist Muttur Police to arrest SLN personnel who were in the naval craft which rammed the fishing boat, killing one Muslim fisherman on December 31 last year, legal sources said.

Commander Nilaweera of the SLN based in Trincomalee Monday appeared before Muttur Magistrate on summons issued last week when Muttur Police informed court that they were not in a position to continue the inquiry into the incident as the SLA had failed to assist them, sources said.

Earlier the Magistrate directed the Muttur Police to arrest the navy personnel who were manning the naval craft, which rammed the fishing boat on December 31st last year, sources said

Muttur Magistrate Mr.Manaf further instructed the SLN commander to take steps to instruct his men to stop harassing fishermen while in sea, legal sources said. Attorney-at-Law Asanka Karunaratne appeared for SLN Commander Nilaweera

It transpired at the magisterial inquest held earlier into the death of the fisherman Yakub Jawad, that a naval craft which came in high speed and had rammed the fishing boat.