Sri Lankan Navy arrests 25 fishermen

Chennai/ Rameshwaram: Even as India and Sri Lanka entered into a reciprocal agreement to release detained fishermen of both countries, Sri Lanka on Tuesday took into custody 25 Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized their six boats. 

Chief minister Jayalalithaa in the evening sought the Prime Minister’s urgent intervention in securing the release of TN fishermen along with their boats at the earliest.

This move by the Sri Lankan Navy comes just days ahead of the proposed talks between the fishermen associations of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka to be held here on January 27.

“While the government of Tamil Nadu has taken such a positive and accommodative stance and has on date released 130 Sri Lankan fishermen along with their seven boats, it is most disconcerting and shocking to learn that the Sri Lankan Navy has returned to its marauding acts of assault and apprehension of innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu at this critical juncture,” Jayalalithaa stated in her letter.

Jaya seeks immediate release of 25 fishermen

Chennai: Dismayed by the reports that 25 fishermen from Ramnathapuram distr­ict were nabbed by the Sri Lankan Navy while they were fishing in the Palk Bay early on Tue­sday, chief minister Jay­alalithaa shot off another missive to the Prime Minister.

In the letter, Jaya­lali­t­haa sought the Prime Mi­­nister’s urgent interv­e­ntion in securing the release of Tamil Nadu fi­s­h­ermen along with th­eir boats at the earliest.

This move by the Sri Lankan Navy comes just days ahead of the proposed talks between the fishermen associations of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka to be held here on January 27.

“While the governme­nt of Tamil Nadu has ta­ken such a positive and accommodative stance and has on date released 130 Sri Lankan fisherm­en along with their sev­en boats, it is most dis­concerting and shocking to learn that the Sri La­nkan Navy has returned to its marauding acts of assault and apprehension of innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu at this critical juncture,” Jayalalithaa stated in her letter.

She pointed out that this belligerent action by Lankan navy has ca­used tremendous anxiety and agitation am­on­gst the fishermen community in Tamil Nadu. “The action of the Sri Lankan authorities has come as a rude shock to the fishermen community in Tamil Nadu,” the chief minister said.

Following repeated att­acks by Sri Lankan navy on Indian fishermen, the state government had made several attempts for a meeting between fis­hermen of Tamil Na­du and Sri Lanka following a request from the fishermen here to sort out the day-to-day problems faced by them.

The meeting of the fishermen associations of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu was scheduled to take place at Chennai on January 20 but later postponed to January 27 following a request from the Lankan government.

As a goodwill gesture, both the governments have been engaged in the process of releasing rival prisoners of both countries in a phased manner.

So far, 130 Sri Lankan fishermen have been released with their boats. The recent arrests are seen as a setback to the proposed talks.