Lanka PM's comment on Indian fishermen raises storm
His comment comes at a time when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a visit to Sri Lanka. Swaraj is scheduled to meet Wickramesinghe on Saturday.
"If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. Why are you coming into our waters? Why are you fishing in our waters? Stay on the Indian side. There will be no issue," Wickramesinghe said.
Defending he action of Lankan Navy which shot at Tamil Nadu fishermen who had strayed into the Lankan maritime zone, Wickramesinghe said that Indian fishermen should stay on their side.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land in Colombo on March 13 after visiting Seychelles and Mauritius as part of his three-nation tour to strengthen relations with neighbours.
MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, "We hope we can work together in a peaceful and diplomatic manner on this issue. We intend to work with our Sri Lankan interlocutors to ensure that both countries are able to work together. The issue has been discussed on several occasions in the past. It is a humanitarian issue, an emotive issue and an issue of livelihood."
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