A Qatar court fined four fishermen from Tamil Nadu to the tune of Rs. 15 lakh (QR 20,000 each) on the charge of crossing the Qatar waters on February 10.
The fishermen – L. Jerald, R. Seelan, P. Wasilan and R. Thirumurugan – had ventured into sea from Dharin in Saudi Arabia in a boat belonging to a Saudi employer and were detained by the Qatari Coast Guard (QCG) on January 7.
The court fined the fishermen on February 10, when they were produced before it, said a release from P. Justin Antony, founder-president of International Fishermen Development Trust, here on Friday. Quoting an official communication from the Indian Embassy in Doha, Mr. Justin Antony said the Saudi employer had also attended the court hearing and was planning to appeal against the verdict. The Indian Embassy in Qatar is taking up the matter with the local authorities, including foreign ministry and public prosecution, to secure their release on humanitarian grounds, the release also said.
