DAMMAM: The remaining four Indian fishermen from the Qatif area in Dammam, who were detained by the Qatari Coast Guard for six months, were released and arrived in Qatif Thursday after their sponsor paid “heavy fines” to the Qatar authorities. The four men – Anand, Xavier, George Thomas and Edison Laurence – were released along with two fishing boats. They were the final group among 28 fishermen who were captured by the Qatari coast guard about six months ago. The other 24 detainees were released earlier. Saudi Gazette contacted one of the detained fishermen who was released previously. Justin Thomas, from Kanya Kumari, the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, said that the fishermen had not entered Qatari waters. He alleged that the Qatari coast guard detained the 28 fishermen, 15 from Darin and 13 from Saihat, unnecessarily. “We did not stray into Qatari waters, but the coast guard captured us and detained us for around six months. Those six months were the peak time for us to catch fish, especially shrimp and by detaining us we lost our income and our sponsors had to pay heavy fines,” he said.?Thomas says that he is now planning to go for a vacation as he is mentally and physically drained as a result of the ordeal. He expressed his gratitude towards the Saudi authorities, especially his sponsor who paid a heavy fine to release him. “The Indian Embassy officials in Qatar came to visit us in jail twice and they gave us QR50. The Indian community and officials there were very helpful,” he said. Most of the released fishermen have already left the country, says Mohan Shornoor, an Indian social worker in Dammam, who has been following up the case of the detained fishermen. He said that the Saudi authorities in Qatar have been very cooperative and their efforts resulted in the release of the poor fishermen. “The sponsors had to pay fines of QR2,000 per person and QR50,000 for the boat. Indian embassy officials, both in Saudi Arabia and in Qatar were also very helpful in getting the release of the fishermen,” he said. To prevent the accidental crossing of territory at sea, a permanent solution must be sought by all the authorities concerned, otherwise such cases will reoccur, said some fishermen. They added that there are no signs at sea designating borders.
