where is sri lanka in relation to india
India–Sri Lanka relations There have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing on Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait, where India and Sri Lanka are only separated by 12 nautical miles.The issue is because of Indian fishermen using mechanised trawlers which deprives the Sri Lankan fishermen including Tamils of their catch and also damaging their fishing boats. The Sri Lankan government wants India to ban use of mechanized trawlers in the palk strait region and the negotiations on the same are going on. So far no concrete agreement has been reached since India favors regulating these trawlers instead of banning them altogether. Anger amongst the Sri Lankan side is also because the use of mechanized trawlers is ecologically damaging.[23] Indian Government has always taken up the issue of safety of Indian fishermen on a priority basis with the Government of Sri Lanka. Presently there is no bona fide Indian fisherman in the Sri Lankan custody. A Joint Working Group (JWG) has been constituted to deal with the issues related to Indian fishermen straying in Sri Lankan territorial waters, work out modalities for prevention of use of force against them and the early release of confiscated boats and explore possibilities of working towards bilateral arrangements for licensed fishing. The JWG last met in Jan 2006. India officially protested against Sri Lanka Navy for its alleged involvement in attacks on Indian fishermen on January 12, 2011.[24] Even after the official protest, another fisherman was killed in a brutal manner on Jan 22, 2011.[25] Over 730 fishermen have been killed in the last 30 years. The apathetic attitude of the Indian government and the national media towards the alleged killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy is being strongly condemned.[26] Several Tamil Nadu politicians like Vaiko and Jayalalitha have condemned the federal government for not doing enough to stop the killing of Indian Tamil fishermen, and for offering training, equipment, and strategic cooperation for the Sri Lankan Navy.[27] In November 2014, Sri Lanka ordered capital punishment to Indian fishermen who were allegedly involved in drug supply or other kind of smuggling. Activists from India approached to Sri Lankan government through an appeal, where they stated the need to strengthen south Asian regional cooperation for all such issues. It was appealed that though crime of any kind must get punishment, but capital punishment must be revoked in this case and in general from all over south Asia.[28] Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Winckramsinghe during an interview to a television channel in March 2015 told 'if Indian fishermen will cross the sea boundary, Sri Lankan navy can shoot them.' This remark sparked controversy over Sri Lanka â€“ India relation. External affairs minister of India raised the issue with meeting her counterpart in Sri Lanka, but the statement of PM of Sri Lanka was condemned by civil rights activists, even open letters were written to PMs of Sri Lanka and India to resolve the dispute and to apologize for statements as fishermen are not criminals.[29]