Irked by the Centre for remaining a “mute spectator” to the frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa said there was no concerted action on securing their release.

She wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday seeking his immediate intervention through diplomatic channels to secure the release of all fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are in Sri Lankan custody.

“What we in Tamil Nadu read are just press statements that all efforts would be made  by the government of India to ensure the early release of our fishermen but we fail to see any concerted action,” Jayalalithaa said.

She recalled her previous letters sent to Singh and alleged that the Centre remained a “mute spectator. It leads us to doubt whether the issue is even taken as seriously by the GoI as it ought to be.”

This very “muted response” has emboldened the Sri Lankan Navy to repeatedly arrest “our fishermen and their aggressive actions are worsening day by day,” the CM said. Her letter comes in the wake of the recent arrest of 35 fishermen by the Lankan Navy.

Jayalalithaa said the fishermen community belonged to the poorest section of society and prolonged periods of incarceration in an alien land led to severe mental agony and loss of livelihood.

She urged Singh to take immediate action through diplomatic channels to secure the release of all fishermen from TN along with their boats and arrange for their immediate repatriation.

“The Centre has to take positive and concrete steps to secure the early release of the 82 fishermen who are already in Lankan jails for months, besides the 35 arrested recently, the CM said. – Deccan Chronicle