The Indian Embassy in Riyadh said 22 of the 26 Indian fishermen from Qatif who were detained in Qatar Ruweis Port by the Qatari Coast Guards over three weeks have been released after their sponsor paid heavy fines to the Qatar authorities. The 26 fishermen along with their seven boats were detained on May 5 by Qatar's coast guard after they strayed into Qatari waters from Saudi Arabia. Sources from the local fishing industry here said the Saudi owners of the boats paid 50,000 Qatari riyals ($13,737) for each of the seven boats to secure their release. “The embassy is pleased to learn that 22 of the fishermen were released and that the remaining four will be freed also after the submissions of some documents, which had caused the delay. Their release is due within the next few days,” an official at the embassy said. Meanwhile, four other Indian fishermen from Bahrain, who were detained on May 4 for similar reasons, were still awaiting release and Indian embassy officials in Bahrain are still negotiating with Qatari authorities for their release as soon as possible. The four Indian fishermen from Qatif and the four compatriots from Bahrain were detained at the Coast Guard headquarters in Ruweis. The Indian Community Benevolent Fund (ICBF) in Qatar and Indian community in Ruweis have been providing foods and other needs of the detained fishermen. The 26 fishermen from Dammam are natives of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu State, while other four from Bahrain are from Thiruvananthapuram area in Kerala state. Last year more than 40 fishermen from Qatif were detained by the Qatari Coast Guard after they accidentally entered Qatari territory and were arrested for more than two months. The Indian Embassy in Qatar is trying to find a permanent solution to the issue. __
