20 fishermen, 75 boats in custody of Sri Lankan goverment
Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam urged the Centre to secure immediate release of 20 fishermen and their 75 boats in Sri Lankan custody
Chennai: In his first letter to the PM as head of state, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam urged the Centre to secure immediate release of 20 fishermen and their 75 boats in Sri Lankan custody, a release said.
“Due to the untiring efforts of our beloved leader Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, 76 Indian fishermen languishing in Lankan jails were released by the Lankan court on Tuesday. No boats have been released so far. I appreciate the efforts of government of India in securing release of fishermen who were apprehended by Sri Lankan navy but unfortunately 71 fishing boats of these fishermen have not yet been released and are falling apart,” Paneerselvam said.
Pointing two recent incidents in which four fishermen were abducted on September 27 and another 16 fishermen who were nabbed on Monday by Lanka, the CM urged the Centre to immediately intervene and secure their release.
The CM said the international maritime boundary line (IMBL) itself was a matter of sub judice in the SC wherein the government of TN and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa had challenged the unconstitutional ceding away of Katchatheevu by the 1974 and 1976 agreements.
“The TN government strongly reiterates the need to restore the traditional rights of our fishermen and by annulling the ill advised Indo-Sri Lankan agreements urgently,” he said.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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