Full Focus

People riding on motorcycles are seen through a hole of a damaged building in Deir al-Zor May 19, 2013. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi

Editor's choice

Our top photos from the past week.   Slideshow 

Pictures

Photo

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Photo

Devastated by tornado

A huge tornado tears through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing dozens.  Slideshow 

Photo

Nuclear tsunami wall

Safety upgrades designed to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima disaster.  Slideshow 

Sponsored Links

China urges Sri Lanka to release 37 detained fishermen

Related Topics

BEIJING | Mon Aug 6, 2012 4:36am EDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has called on Sri Lanka to release 37 Chinese fishermen detained by the Sri Lankan navy, China's Xinhua state news agency reported on Monday, in a case that could test increasingly close ties between Beijing and Colombo.

Sri Lanka's navy arrested the fishermen on Sunday night. They were aboard two trawlers off the Sri Lankan east coast town of Batticaloa, Xinhua said.

The navy arrested them for fishing in Sri Lankan waters and they would be handed over to police for further investigation, the news agency reported.

"The Chinese embassy ... has urged Sri Lankan authorities to handle the issue in accordance with the law, sort out the truth and release the Chinese fishermen as soon as possible," Xinhua said.

Sri Lanka's location astride an ancient trade route in the Indian Ocean makes it of strategic commercial and military interest to the United States, India and China.

China has been competing for influence in Sri Lanka with India, traditionally the island's most important ally.

China has lent Sri Lanka hundreds of millions of dollars to build ports, roads, railways, power plants and a new airport, fuelling speculation China wants military bases on the island, something denied by Sri Lanka.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
World
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (2)
WhatNextNow wrote:
No nation should be allowed to build basis on foreign land. The existing basis should be closed as soon as possible and on urgent basis. Otherwise objection to new basis will be ineffective.

Aug 06, 2012 8:21am EDT  --  Report as abuse
walfourth wrote:
Is China picking a fight with Sri Lanka now? They are on a roll now. Is China going to claim the Bay of Bengal as its territorial waters? I think it is time for India, even if it has some qualms, to start backing Sri Lanka up.

Aug 06, 2012 8:45am EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »