The National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) today thanked the Sri Lanka government for its goodwill gesture ahead of Pongal festival to release all 104 Indian fishermen arrested by the island nation’s Navy. 

Chairman of NFF M. Ilango said the Sri Lankan government’s announcement yesterday to set free all fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry incarcerated there for allegedly poaching in their territorial waters “has come as a happy development.” 

“The NFF thanks the Sri Lankan president and the other authorities in the country for the gesture,” he said in a release. 

Ilango also requested that all vessels impounded allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy be released. 

The Ministry of Fisheries and Acquatic Resources had said that in view of the Thai Pongal festival, Sri Lanka would release all the Indian fishermen today. 

It had said the letter of recommendation for their release has been sent to the President by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Yesterday, the Tamil Nadu government in a release in Chennai, had said that of the 104 fishermen hailing from Nagappatinam, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram, 55 were released by Sri Lankan courts and handed over to Indian consulate officials in Jaffna.

It had said that the other fishermen would be released over the next two days, it said.

The release also said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had issued orders to government authorities to take all steps to safely bring back the fishermen to the state.

The fishermen issue continues to be a major irritant in Indo-Lanka ties.

Source: PTI

-Agencies