Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, on Sunday wrote to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, urging immediate diplomatic intervention to prevent the continued detention of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and to secure the swift release of those currently in custody, along with their fishing boats.

In his letter, Stalin drew attention to a fresh incident in which three fishermen from Ramanathapuram district were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday while fishing in what they said were traditional fishing waters. The fishermen had ventured out from the Mandapam fishing harbour on December 27 and were arrested along with their mechanised fishing boat the next day on charges of crossing the maritime boundary.

Expressing serious concern, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said such incidents have been occurring with alarming frequency and have caused severe disruption to the livelihoods of thousands of fishing families along the Tamil Nadu coast. He noted that repeated arrests and seizure of boats have pushed fishermen into economic distress and uncertainty, even as many continue to depend solely on the sea for survival.

According to the data cited in the letter, 61 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 248 fishing boats remain under the custody of Sri Lankan authorities. Stalin urged the Union government to take up the matter urgently through appropriate diplomatic channels to ensure the early release of all detained fishermen and their vessels, and to put in place effective mechanisms to prevent such arrests in the future.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu reiterated that safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen must remain a top priority in bilateral engagements with Sri Lanka.

Source: DT Next
--Agencies