Chennai: Twelve fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy on November 11, allegedly for trespassing and fishing in the island waters, a fisheries department official said on Tuesday. Their counterparts in Rameswaram staged a protest in Pamban demanding the Central government’s immediate intervention to secure the release of the Nagapattinam fishermen and also others from the state arrested by the Lankan navy.
They also demanded an early end to the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen and the seizure of their fishing vessels. Traffic at Pamban came to a standstill when a large number of the mechanised boatmen and country boat fishers along with their families staged a protest.
According to an official from the state fisheries department, the Nagapattinam fishermen set sail on a mechanised craft from Akkaraipettai fishing harbour on November 10 night. They were fishing near south-east of Kodiyakarai when the Sri Lankan navy arrested them on November 11 evening.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin requested Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take immediate diplomatic efforts to prevent the arrests of the country's fishermen and to secure the expeditious release of all the fishermen and their fishing boats.
In a letter addressed to Jaishankar, Stalin said, "I want to draw your attention to the increased frequency of incidents of arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities. These arrests not only disrupt their livelihoods but also cause immense distress to their families."
"On November 9, the Sri Lankan Navy took into custody twenty-three fishermen from Rameswaram, two mechanized fishing boats bearing registration numbers IND-TN-10-MM-958 and IND-TN-10-MM-641, and an unregistered boat.
"Further, on November 12, another fishing boat (Registration No.IND-TN-06-MM-8478) from Nagapattinam and 12 fishermen were apprehended. Notably, the Sri Lankan Navy's apprehension of Tamil Nadu fishermen in 2024 is the highest in the last seven years," Stalin said.
"I, therefore, request you to take immediate diplomatic efforts to prevent the arrests of our fishermen and to secure the expeditious release of all the fishermen and their fishing boats," the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said.
