As 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar requesting to take immediate diplomatic efforts to stop the arrests of Indian fishermen and to secure the release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats from the Sri Lankan authorities.
The fishermen had ventured for fishing from the Mandapam Fishing Harbour, Ramanathapuram district on February 2 and were arrested by the Lankan Navy on February 3. During the past 27 days, 63 fishermen and five fishing boats have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy in five separate incidents, Mr. Stalin pointed out.
Last year, 530 fishermen and 71 fishing boats were apprehended in 36 separate incidents, he recalled. As on date, 97 fishermen and 216 fishing boats were still under the custody of the Sri Lankan authorities.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin said these incidents of apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy continued unabated and underscored the urgency to resolve this vexed issue. “The arrest and detention of the fishermen and non-release of their fishing boats have caused immense damage to the coastal community’s economy. Hundreds of poor fishermen families live in fear and face hardship due to these recurring arrests”.
Mr. Stalin further urged the Union Minister to take immediate diplomatic efforts at the highest level to stop the arrests of the Indian fishermen and to secure the release of all the fishermen and their fishing boats from the custody of Sri Lankan authorities.
