25 Fishermen, Boats Detained By Maldivian Navy
The fishermen had ventured into the sea from Tharuvaikulam, near Thoothukudi, on three boats owned by Ramesh Kumar, Soosai Packiyam and Michael Jackson
THOOTHUKUDI: The Maldivian navy has seized three fishing boats, along with the catch, and detained 25 Tamil Nadu fishermen on charges of cross-border fishing near Maldives.
The fishermen had ventured into the sea from Tharuvaikulam, near Thoothukudi, on three boats owned by Ramesh Kumar, Soosai Packiyam and Michael Jackson.
Of the 25 fishermen, 20 belong to the coastal villages of Tharuvaikulam, Thalamuthunagar and Vembar, in Thoothukudi district, while four hail from Narippaiyur and Ervadi, in Ramanathapuram district, and one from Puducherry.
According to information received by the boat owners, a Maldivian navy vessel on patrol duty, intercepted the boats while they were fishing near Maldives and seized the vessels, their catch and detained all 25 fishermen onboard.
Following the incident, the relatives of the detained fishermen and the boat owners laid siege to the office of the assistant director of fisheries in Thoothukudi on Tuesday, demanding immediate steps to secure the safe return of the fishermen and their boats.
They urged fisheries minister Srinath to intervene directly, take up the issue with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and approach the Union government to ensure the fishermen’s safe release.