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Indian and Sri Lankan Caritas mobilize for six jailed fishermen
Caritas Sri Lanka has asked its sister organisation in India to mobilize to secure the release of six fishermen detained since June 2011 in Orissa for having entered Indian territorial waters.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Caritas Sri Lanka is appealing for the cooperation of Caritas India and the Indian Church to help secure the release of six Sri Lankan fishermen detained in Orissa since June 2011. The announcement was made by an official statement, from Fr. George Sigamoney, national director of Caritas, sent to Fr. Mattamanana Varghese, executive director of Caritas India.
According to sources, the six Sri Lankan fishermen were arrested by the Coast Guard when their boat, "Mary Ann" entered Orissa’s territorial waters June 26, 2011. The captain and crew were sentenced to five to three months' imprisonment and the "Mary Ann" was confiscated, according to Indian law. The six fishermen are now in prison Jagatsingpur in Orissa. Their families are in serious difficult because they no longer any financial means to survive on since the fishermen’s arrest, said Father Sigamoney.
"We would be very grateful if you can consider this case and instruct your employees to assist them, providing legal help through a network of representatives of the Church in Orissa, in order to obtain their release and ensure their safe return" appealed Father Sigamoney. In response Barla Francis, head of Caritas India in Bhubaneswar told AsiaNews that he will try to do everything possible to help the fishermen