Indian embassy promises to help dozens of fishermen detained in Maldives

The Indian High Commission has pledged to help secure the release of dozens of Indian fishermen detained in the Maldives after due procedure.

On Monday, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) captured three foreign fishing vessels caught in the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone. The boats were captured 170 nautical miles to the west of Ari Atoll.

While the MNDF did not say where the boats were from or any details regarding the people on board, Indian press initially reported the three boats, with 25 fishermen from Thoothukudi district, had set off for deep-sea fishing on October 1.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, Justin Antony, president of India-based NGO INFIDET (International Fishermen Development Trust) said the Maldives authorities had detained 26 fishermen, from Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Villupuram districts.

INFIDET wrote to the Indian High Commissioner G. Balasubramanian to intervene and help bring back the detained fishermen safely to their homes without imposing fines and also restore their boats.

The Hindu, quoting INFIDET, reported on Wednesday that Balasubramanian, in an email response to the NGO, stated that the High Commission would update on the developments of the detainment of the fishermen and endeavor to have them and their boats released after due procedure.

Subramanian added that the High Commission will “seek consular access on their arrival to Male’ and when granted, would ensure their welfare and that their legal rights were enforced.”

INFIDET says the detained Indians were traditional fishermen and fishing was the only source of income for them.

“Crossing of border was not intentional and it’s the marine nature and flow of uncontrollable water currents,” said Antony, appealing for a sympathetic consideration and intervention from the High Commission.

The families of the fishermen have also appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their release. They, too, claim the boats hadn’t deliberately crossed the Maldives maritime boundary to engage in fishing, but had drifted into Maldivian waters due to strong sea currents and winds.

Several foreign fishing boats have been caught in Maldivian waters over the years, most commonly from neighboring India and Sri Lanka.