Sri Lankan Tamil politicians want India to abolish bottom-trawling.

• Sri Lankan Tamil political leaders urge India to ban bottom trawling to resolve the fisheries conflict affecting northern Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.

• The conflict has a devastating impact on war-affected Tamil fishermen and the marine ecosystem of the Palk Bay.

• The leaders recalled an agreement reached in 2016 between the Indian and Sri Lanka governments to end bottom trawling.

• India currently follows a seasonal ban on fishing along its east coast for two months annually.

• The message is significant ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Rameswaram, where many bottom trawlers are seized on charges of illegal fishing. • Both leaders emphasize the need for immediate release of Indian fishermen and their boats.