Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has urged the Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to secure the immediate release of all the fishermen and their fishing boats apprehended by Sri Lanka.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has requested Minister Jaishankar in writing to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government for securing the release of 37 arrested fishermen of Tamil Nadu and to secure expeditious release of the seized boats.
“As I had pointed out in my previous letter, the incidents of arrests and intimidation have been continuing unabated resulting in loss of livelihoods,” he added in his letter, a copy of which was released to the media.
Despite this, yet again, on June 22, 22 fishermen from Rameswaram fishing harbour were apprehended along with their three mechanised fishing boats, Mr. Stalin said in his letter. “I request you to ensure the immediate release of the apprehended fishermen and their boats,” he added.
“I would also like to inform that permission is yet to be granted for the salvage boats and crew for bringing back the released boats from Sri Lanka,” Mr Stalin pointed out. Similarly, the requests of various fishermen associations in Tamil Nadu to visit the fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka, to provide them with some consolation and certain basic needs, may be proactively considered, he added.
“It is imperative that urgent diplomatic initiatives are taken to resolve this festering issue. I have been reiterating the need to revitalise the Joint Working Group that was set up to address this. I therefore request you to take this up with the Sri Lankan authorities and also to work towards a lasting solution to this issue,” Stalin said.
Separately, BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai also wrote to Minister Jaishankar requesting his intervention in ensuring the early release of the 22 Tamil fishermen detained by the Sri Lankan Navy and the boats belonging to them, Indian media reported.
The Sri Lanka Navy on Sunday (23) apprehended 03 Indian fishing trawlers along with 22 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island, Jaffna. Additionally, the navy has taken into custody 10 Indian fishermen in a trawler while poaching in seas off Delft Island last night (24), whereas a navy officer who was injured during the incident has succumbed to his injuries after admission to hospital.
Sri Lanka Navy has arrested over 200 Indian fishermen and seized more than 27 Indian poaching trawlers in Sri Lankan waters so far in 2024, and subsequently handed them over to authorities for legal proceedings.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has urged both indian External Affairs Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions to address this issue to seek a diplomatic resolution to ensure the safety and well-being of Tamil fishermen mentioning that the ‘nationalisation’ of the apprehended boats without proper compensation or alternative arrangements pushes the fishermen and their families into financial distress.