Indo-Sri Lanka Fisheries dialogue come to another level

On the 05th November, high level ministerial meeting held between Indian and Sri Lankan ministers of fisheries in New Delhi on Indian Sri Lankan Trans Boarder issue. The prior meeting held between fishermen of the both the countries were ended with out a solution as Indian fishermen wanted to continue bottom trawling for another 3 years.
The fisher representatives of N.M. Alam, Chair of the Northern Province Fisher People's Unity[NPFPU], S. Subramaniyam, Secretary of the NPFPU, M. Mariyarasa, Treasurer of the Unity, and T. Francis from Poonagari fisheries cooperative society were attended the dialogue and strongly objected to the request of the Indian counterpart. These were agreed at the prior NPFPU meetings with the consultation of the fisheries coops and other relevant parties who are supportive to the small scale fisher people's struggle.
So, this stand was not only those fishers but a collective decision of the fishing communities in the North.
The NPFPU has come up with set of demands and the stand against the bottom trawling since the inception. The Unity was formed in March, 2011 after the second people to people dialogue conducted in August 2010. The Unity has grown as a people based organization and involved many struggles in relation to Small Scale Fishers in the north. So, the demand of the Indian counterpart to continue to bottom trawling was not difficult task them to reject outright as the team represent the oppressed masses.

However, the high level meetings followed by the fishers meetings were successfully concluded and in favor of Sri Lankan fishermen and India agreed to ban bottom trawling.
The Daily Mirror news paper published an article on this matter as follows;