By: Isuru Parakrama
September 30, Colombo (LNW): Fishermen in Tamil Nadu launched a public protest on Sunday, condemning the recent detention of 17 Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and the confiscation of two fishing boats near Rameswaram.
Protesters, including both men and women, took to the streets, raising slogans and voicing their anger over the incident.
The detained fishermen, identified as Markmillan, Milton, Ronald, Sesuraja, Jeevan Frisher, Suresh, Arul Dhinakaran, Durai, Maria Sethin, Ardiya Nicho, Jebastian, Rajeev, Vivek, Innachie, Samuel, Brichan, and Bhaskaran, hail from Thangachimadam in Tamil Nadu.
The seized boats belonged to local fishermen Vyadaraj and Selvam.
According to the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, the group had embarked on a fishing expedition in the Palk Bay area with 309 boats after receiving clearance from the Rameswaram Fisheries Department.
Despite this, the Sri Lankan Navy detained the fishermen near Nedunthivu and escorted them to Mannar port for questioning.
In response, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin penned a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging immediate action for the release of the detained fishermen.
Stalin stressed that the repeated arrests and boat seizures are causing immense distress among coastal communities.
In his letter, he wrote, “I urge you to take concrete and proactive diplomatic steps to address this ongoing issue, which continues to disrupt the livelihoods of our fishing communities.”
This incident is not isolated. Similar detentions have occurred, notably one on September 21, when 37 Tamil fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan authorities.
They were accused of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line while attempting to rescue a Sri Lankan vessel in distress. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also addressed the matter, writing to Jaishankar to demand the fishermen’s release.
In his letter, Gandhi emphasised that the arrested fishermen were small-scale operators who had acted in good faith during a rescue attempt, only to face arrest.
The detentions of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have become a longstanding issue, sparking tensions between the Tamil Nadu government and the central government, with both sides urging diplomatic resolutions.
The Tamil Nadu fishing communities have called for more robust measures to protect their rights and prevent further incidents of this nature, as the situation continues to foster unrest along the coastal regions.
*With inputs from Asian News International (ANI)
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