Sri Lanka, India to hold high level talks on fishing

Sri Lanka and India have intensified their cooperation over fishermen illegally crossing international maritime boundary lines ahead of a crucial high level meeting next week, an official said here on Wednesday. A team from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu will be arriving in Sri Lanka to repair seven boats that belonged to 35 Indian fishermen who were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy and returned home with the intervention of the Indian High Commission.. Usually the fishermen that cross into the maritime boundary of the other country are held, sometimes for as long as a year, before they are allowed to go home. However, ahead of a high powered meeting between the two countries on the issue, cooperation has intensified, observed an official at the Indian High Commission commending the Sri Lankan Navy for saving the lives of fishermen. Tamil Nadu has earlier criticized the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly attacking the fishermen, a charge denied by the government. The Indian delegation expected in Colombo for talks include senior state and central government officials. In addition representatives from the states of Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh will also be represented.