Mar 12, Colombo: Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries has postponed the discussions between the fishermen and the officials of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu which had been scheduled for tomorrow.

Ministry of Fisheries Spokesman Narendra Rajapaksa told media that the discussions were postponed indefinitely as per a request made by Chennai fishermen representatives.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram said the Sri Lankan government should release all Tamil Nadu fishermen who are in jail in Sri Lanka before the next level of talks between Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen, a demand the Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries had denied.

A Sri Lankan court today ordered the release of 116 Indian fishermen. However, the Tamil Nadu State government has demanded the release of all 177 Indian fishermen and their 44 boats currently detained by Sri Lanka for the talks to proceed.

The scheduled meeting between the fishermen representatives and the officials of the two countries was an extension of a series of rounds of talks that began in January.