DHAKA: Sri Lanka’s navy said on Sunday that it had seized 29 Indian fishermen, the first arrests since president Mahinda Rajapakse and India’s new premier held talks on resolving the thorny issue of poaching.

The navy arrested the Indians along with six trawlers off the island’s north-west coast on Sunday, a navy statement said, reports The Straits Times.

‘The arrested fishermen and the trawlers were handed over to the officials of the department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources... for legal action,’ it said.

It was the first arrest since Rajapakse ordered the release of all Indian fishermen from Sri Lankan jails as a goodwill gesture marking the swearing-in of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

BDST: 2020 HRS, JUNE 01, 2014