17 TN fishermen attacked by Lankan boatmen

In two separate incidents, 17 fishermen from various hamlets in Nagapattinam district were today allegedly attacked by their Sri Lankan counterparts in mid-sea off the Kodiakarai coast, officials said.
Quoting the injured fishermen, they said that 12 fishermen of Perumalpettai and Pudupettai hamlets were fishing in two boats, a few knots off-Kodiakarai coast, early today morning when Lankan fishermen in four boats surrounded them.
They jumped into the boats and allegedly attacked the Nagapattinam fishermen with sharp objects before snatching their fish catch, GPRS instrument and other valuables and fled, officials said.
In another incident in the same area at the same time, five fishermen from Vellapallam hamlet were allegedly attacked by the Lankan fishermen. They were also relieved of the fish catch and GPRS instruments.

The 17 fishermen, 12 of them injured, returned to the shore and lodged complaints with the fisheries department authorities, officials said.