Twenty-two Bahrain-based fishermen have been released from Al Khor jail in Doha after their employers paid fines amounting to a total of BD11,200 ($29,480) for straying into Qatar's territorial waters.

The men have been held in Al Khor jail since October 6, when they travelled in seven different boats before they were intercepted by Qatari coastguards at Al Ruwais.

Indian Embassy officials in Bahrain said yesterday they were informed about the news adding that the employers here expedited the process and paid the fines so that the men could return.

Our sister publication the Gulf Daily News  reported on October 24 that a Doha court fined the boat captain BD700 and the rest were given fines of BD500 each.

All the men hail from Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Diplomats earlier said the arrest of fishermen for straying into international waters was a recurring problem. – TradeArabia News Service