Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that he does not approve of the ‘right to shoot’ statement by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the Indian fishermen's issue.

Speaking to ‘Asian Mirror’ a short while ago, Senaratne said that there was no point in shooting innocent fishermen who are fighting for their livelihoods. He stated that he made this observation during the National Executive Council meeting held in the morning.

Senaratne added that the best way to stop the incursions by Indian fishermen is to detain the boats. Thereby the boat owners are compelled to urge fishermen not to cross the maritime boundary, Senaratne said. He pointed out that this policy was carried out successfully during his tenure as the Fisheries Minister, adding that after the adaptation of this policy incursions reduced significantly. ‘Our fight should be with the boat owners, not the fishermen’ he stressed.

However, the Sri Lankan government recently decided to return the boats detained by Sri Lanka Navy. Senaratne said that it was not the way to solve the issue.

He further stated that the President decided to hold a meeting to discuss the fisheries issue after TNA leader R. Sampanthan made a request. The meeting is scheduled for March 31, he added. Representatives of Northern Fishermen’s Associations, members of TNA and representatives of the Fisheries Ministry will be present in the meeting. Senaratne said that he will also be present at the meeting.

Wickremesinghe first made the controversial remark ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Speaking to a Tamil news channel he said: “If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. If he gets killed... Law allows me to do that.” On Monday, after Modi's visit, he reiterated his position in an interview with NDTV.