During a meeting held on 2024-05-06 at the Fisheries Ministry, Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda informed the families of the Fishermen who were on board an abducted vessel that two months ago, Somalian Pirates had taken a Sri Lankan Fishing Vessel. Fortunately, the Coast Guards of Seychelles rescued the vessel with the fishermen on board.
Diplomatic efforts have been underway to repatriate these fishermen and the Minister has raised this issue multiple times at Cabinet meetings in order to bring the fishermen back to Sri Lanka. Financial assistance has been provided to support their families, following the President’s directives to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The Minister expressed his sincere apologies for the delays in the repatriation process, attributing the length of time to legal matters that had to be resolved by both Seychelles and Sri Lankan authorities.
Despite the delays, the Minister remains optimistic that the fishermen will return to Sri Lanka within the week, urging the families to remain patient.
Various officials, including the Ministry of Fisheries Secretary Miss. Nayana Kumari Somarathna and the Department of Fisheries Director General Mr. Susantha Kahawaththa, were in attendance at the meeting.