Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene and safe the discharge of 17 Tamil Nadu fishermen who had been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.
In a letter written to Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, Stalin stated that two fishing boats together with 17 fishermen had been apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy close to Kakada Theevu for allegedly fishing throughout the border.
They had been taken to Mannar and Naval Camp and investigations are nonetheless on.
“I need to carry to your rapid consideration to the latest incident of apprehension of 17 fishermen from Rameswaram together with their two mechanised fishing boats by the Sri Lankan Navy on 24.12.2024,” the letter learn.
The letter added that two comparable incidents passed off on December 20, which Stalin known as ‘outrageous’.
“Additional, I might additionally prefer to carry to your consideration to 2 separate incidents of assault on our fishermen from Kodiyakkarai Village, Nagapattinam District by six unidentified Sri Lankan nationals on 20.12.2024. On this outrageous incident, three out of six fishermen who sailed in two nation crafts had been injured and their belongings akin to GPS tools, VHF tools, fishing web, cell phone and their fish catch had been robbed from their fishing boats by the attackers,” Stalin stated.
The letter harassed that this yr, 530 fishermen had been arrested and 71 boats had been confiscated, making the fishermen’s lives tough.
“These form of frequent incidents of arrests and assaults make the lives of our fishermen, who rely solely on fishing of their conventional waters, extremely unsure and harmful. In 2024 alone, 530 fishermen had been arrested and 71 boats have been confiscated until date.
The latest apprehensions and assaults have created a way of worry among the many fishing people who’re solely depending on fishing for his or her livelihood,” the letter learn.
Stalin by means of his letter requested Jaishankar to take acceptable actions by means of diplomatic channels in order that the fishermen’s lives don’t turn into precarious.
“I due to this fact request you to kindly take concerted steps by means of acceptable diplomatic channels to safe the rapid launch of all of the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats. I additionally request that diplomatic steps could also be taken to make sure that such assaults don’t happen in future,” the letter stated.
Fishing boats from Rameswaram yesterday had been fishing close to Kakada Island in Palk Bay Sea. The boats belonged to V Anthony Aaron of Thangachimadam Victorianagar and A Poondiraj of Thangachimadam Manthopu.
