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Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa writes to PM on recent abduction

Abduction of 15 fishermen from TN along with their boats by the Lankan navy
Chennai:Following the most recent abduction of 15 fishermen from TN along with their boats by the Lankan navy on Tuesday, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written to the PM seeking his immediate intervention in securing the release of the fishermen and their vessels.
“In the last two months, there have been 15 incidents of apprehensions wherein 319 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended along with their 62 boats. Due to the efforts of your government all the 319 fishermen have been released. Unfortunately, the 62 fishing boats continue to be in Sri Lankan custody,” the Chief minister told the PM in her letter of Tuesday, copies of which were released to the media here.
While the Lankan government’s “inhuman and cruel strategy” of not releasing the boats caused great loss of livelihood to the fishermen, it was “particularly distressing” that a BJP senior, Dr Subramanian Swamy had admitted in a TV interview on Monday that it was he who had advised Colombo not to release the boats of TN fishermen.
His statement had caused resentment and angst not only amongst the fishermen community but also amongst the entire population of Tamil Nadu, the CM said, while expressing confidence that Dr Swamy’s view was not the official view of the BJP or that of the Indian government.
“Without their sole means of earning their livelihood, these fishermen are in a despondent state. Denying our fishermen the right to peaceful fishing in their traditional waters of the Palk Bay is fueling a sense of frustration amongst them.
The desperate fishermen are resorting to protests and strikes,” Jayalalithaa told the Prime Minister Modi while urging him to take up the issue with the highest authorities of the Sri Lankan government and ensure the immediate release of the 15 fishermen now apprehended and all the 63 boats in the Lankan custody.
The CM also expressed confidence that the Union government would find “suitable mechanisms to resolve this long pending fishing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Lanka by retrieving Katchatheevu and restoring the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen in the Palk Bay.”
( Source : dc correspondent )
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