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Foreigners fire on fishermen in Sri Lanka, wounding one
Friday, 1 February 2008 - 11:47 AM SL Time
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A fisherman sustained minor injuries on Wednesday morning when foreigners sailing in two yachts, 30 nautical miles South west of Great Basses in Kirinda, fired at a group of fisherman who approached the yachts, ignoring the warnings given by the foreigners not to come near.
`One of the bullets had struck the victims arm Navy Spokesman Commander D. K. P. Dassanayake said.
The fishermen were brought ashore by the Navy in two boats after they were informed of the incident by the fishermen via their radio communications.
`The wounded man was taken aboard Navy s Offshore Petrol Vessel `Sayura` and treated before being handed over to the Galle Habour Police,` Dassanayake said.
According to Dassanayake, one of the yachts was occupied by a German couple and the other by a Brazilian and a German. They were heading to Cochin from Galle when the incident occurred around 11.30 a.m.
Five fisherman, who left the Devinuwara Fisheries Harbour in a mechanised fishing boat to the deep seas, had spotted the two yachts and attempted to go near them mistaking the warnings given by those sailing in them not to come near, to be a signal inviting them to come near the yachts.
The foreigners have told the Navy that they suspected the fisherman to be sea pirates and fired warning shots.
The injured fisherman was 46 year old S. K. Wimalasena.
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SenaM
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 1 Feb 2008 13:53:03 GMT Report for Abuse
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Is there an 'approved' set of signals .. understood by private yacht owners (and foreign sea-men plying this type craft), and our local fisher-men ? If not, it is time that we had necessary instructions issued, to all concerned.
(Keep it simple .. Say, a 'red' flag rung-up to signify .. 'Warning: Do not Approach', and a 'white' flag for .. 'Please come-in, we need your help').
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Dauntless
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 1 Feb 2008 13:58:59 GMT Report for Abuse
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My guess is that this was a mistake in communication. sadly our fishermen are from rather poor families and don't know the proper protocols etc and beleive it or not most of them don't carry radios or even a compass and maps...
sad situ for all involved |
magha
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1 Feb 2008 21:58:33 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Why did they have to go near the Yachts anyway? |
SenaM
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2 Feb 2008 01:26:14 GMT Report for Abuse
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Why did they have to go near the Yachts anyway?
Good question .. I too wondered about this. Were they on converging courses ?
The two foreign owned yachts were said to be proceeding towards Cochin (having set out from Galle). Were the fishermen returning to Galle .. by chance on a 'converging' course with the yachts ?
(When travelling the wide expanse of sea .. it will be natural for people in small craft to want to 'converge', if only to greet another human being, and then go again their separate ways. On see-ing two small craft our fishermen could well have attempted to move closer, so as to say 'hello' .. or out of simple curiosity. There may have been no mischief in their minds. However, I do not blame the 'foreigners' not wanting to have anything to do with the fisher-men .. they were obviously not able to make themselves understood. Pity they had to resort to fire-arms, and injure one of the fisher-men. Until proved other-wise, we'd do well to believe in our people).
Edited By - SenaM - 2 Feb 2008 05:31:26 GMT |
Magnum357
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2 Feb 2008 02:10:48 GMT Report for Abuse
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BREAKING NEWS!
Bomb goes off in Bus at Dambulla 13 killed. |
samanj
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 2 Feb 2008 14:12:43 GMT Report for Abuse
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Magha ! Whether fishermen are Tamil or Sinhalese it is their nature when in deep sea to approach any vessel that puts out a signal.
Unfortuately the foreigners have misunderstood the gesture.
Had they minded their own business nothing would have happened.
I believe this is one of those one off incidents and in the future, any distress call would be misunderstood by the fishermen. |
kanthun
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 2 Feb 2008 14:52:41 GMT Report for Abuse
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The warning shots should've enough to send the message across. Guess the fishermen didn't get it.
In the future.. if someone is shooting at you, don't go near them!
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Sintamus
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 2 Feb 2008 15:36:03 GMT Report for Abuse
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Fragile elderly couple must have the right for self-defense.
Minorities or weaker section of any society must have the right to defend itself. Tamils had to take up arms because they were tired of being on the run for 27 years, since 1956 till 1983. |
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1 Feb 2008 08:07:06 GMT