CHENNAI: As many 46 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended between September and October by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing into its water, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami told Prime Minister Narendra Modion Friday and sought his intervention to get them released. He said 46 fishermen and nine mechanised fishing boats who set sail for fishing from Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai Districts of Tamil Nadu have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on September 9, September 19, October 5, October 11, October 16, October 20 and October 26.
“The Sri Lankan Navy continues to harass our fishermen who pursue their humble livelihood of fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay. The Government of Tamil Nadu is extremely concerned about the continuing instances of apprehension and detention of our fishermen,” Palaniswami told Modi. He also said in 2017, 317 Tamil Nadu fishermen and 62 fishing boats have been apprehended in 59 incidents and 263 of these fishermen have been released.
“Even though the fishermen have been released from time to time, their boats and fishing gear, the only means of livelihood of these poor fishermen families are still impounded in Sri Lanka. These fishing boats are deteriorating due to prolonged exposure to the inclement weather and lack of maintenance,” the CM said. “I strongly urge you to personally intervene and take up the issue of the alarming and frequent abduction of our fishermen in their traditional waters with the highest authorities in the Sri Lankan Government so as to ensure the safety and security of Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay from Tamil Nadu,” Palaniswami told the PM.
The CM also recalled that his predecessor Jayalalithaa had “in her personal capacity” moved the Supreme Court challenging “on extremely valid and legal grounds” the constitutional validity of the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement of 1974--by which the Katchatheevu island was ceded by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Sri Lanka-and the TN government had subsequently impleaded itself in the case.”Hence in our view the IMBL is not a settled issued”, the CM said.
