The Navy assisted to apprehend 31 persons engaged in illegal acts at various locations in the island during the past few days. The suspects were held for engaging in illegal fishing and destroying the mangrove environment.
Naval personnel attached to the North Western Naval Command apprehended 16 persons engaged in illegal night diving without passes in Silawathura on November 11. An illegal catch of 2,579 Sea Cucumber, six dinghies and other fishing gear were also seized and they, along with the suspects were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries - Mannar for legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, Naval personnel attached to the North Central Naval Command apprehended six persons engaged in night diving practices without passes in the Southbar area, on November 13. There, 243kg of fish and two dinghies were seized. The suspects, dinghies and the stock of fish were handed over to Assistant Director of Fisheries-Mannar for legal action.
On information received by the Navy, Naval personnel attached to the Northern Naval Command in coordination with Police officials attached to the DIG Office-East, recovered a haul of high explosive (TNT/ C4) weighing 2kg and 196 g, hidden in a fishing net at a location close to the Gurunagar jetty, on November 14. The recovered haul of explosives was handed over to the Jaffna Police for legal action.
On the same day, a person who was cutting mangrove shrubs in the Achchanakulam beach area, was apprehended by a Naval troop attached to the North Central Naval command. The apprehended person along with a knife and a dinghy was handed over to the Beat Forest Officer - Silawathura.
Naval personnel attached to the Eastern Naval Command apprehended eight persons engaged in illegal fishing with banned nets in the lagoon area of Batticaloa on November 16 and 17.
Four canoes, 10 banned nets and 30 kg of caught fish were also seized and they were handed over to Assistant Director of Fisheries- Batticaloa for legal action.
from daily news