President to intervene in North-South fishermen clash in Mullaitivu

• Mano raises concerns over situation in North at Cabinet meeting 
• Subject minister to visit area soon 

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday promised to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to solve the dispute between local northern fishermen and their counterparts from the south of the country. 

The clash, which intensified during the early hours of yesterday when southern fishermen set fire to temporary tents set up by their local counterparts, has been brewing over time, National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages Minister Mano Ganesan said. 

Seasonal fishing in the area is popular due to the abundance of the catch named ‘muhudu kudella’ (sea leach) which fetches a good price in the export market. 

Raising the issue at the Cabinet meeting yesterday, the Minster appealed to the President to intervene in the matter before it hurt reconciliation efforts. 

“I had to bring up the issue as the Reconciliation Minister. This has been going on for a while now. The northern fishermen are not against the southern fishermen; they are against the use of illegal methods,” the Minister said. 

According to Ganesan, subject minister Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa has already visited the area to settle the dispute and take action against illegal fishing methods employed by some of the migratory fishing groups. 

But despite the intervention the situation escalated yesterday when the southern group had attacked the northern fishermen, setting fire to their fishing huts and boats, prompting the Minister to raise the issue in Cabinet. 

President Sirisena has promised to hold a meeting during his visit to the North, scheduled later this month, in a bid to calm the situation. 

The subject minister is also set to visit the area to inquire about the issue and take action, Ganesan said. 

“He asked me to accompany him and we will both visit the area in the coming days,” he said.