Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources
The Minister stated that Sri Lankan fishing vessels entering foreign waters have led to detentions in countries including Mauritius, Maldives, and particularly India’s Tamil Nadu. He said all relevant vessels have Vessel Monitoring System devices, but some crews switch them off, and the Government is increasing attention to this issue. He added that compensation would be provided where VMS data shows no illegal conduct, and that assistance may also be given for repairs to affected vessels.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Member, many who trespass beyond our maritime zone into other countries’ waters have been detained, including in Mauritius and Maldives, and especially Tamil Nadu, India. Though not directly in your question, let me add: VMS devices are installed on all such fishing vessels. If activated, positions are visible to them and to our monitoring centre. Some turn them off, leading to such issues. We are giving this greater attention. Where vessels demonstrably did not act illegally—validated via the device—compensation will be provided. Further, we stand ready to assist with repair of affected vessels. Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 7 August 2025 ·No. 1755509552009433 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 August 2025. No. 1755509552009433. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/24221