Sri Lanka Navy arrests 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen
In two separate incidents, the Sri Lankan navy arrested a total of 14 Indian fishermen — hailing from Rameswaram and Pamban — and confiscated two boats for allegedly violating the IMBL in the wee hours of Tuesday.
All the arrested fishermen have been remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday.
With their repeated protests having yielded no result, fishermen leaders claimed they “exhausted their options” in registering their condemnation, and urged the union government to take steps for the release of the fishermen. Demanding the release of the arrested fishermen, several of their relatives staged a roadblock near Thangachimadam on Tuesday.
According to sources, 320 mechanised boats from Rameswaram fishing harbour and hundreds of country boats from Pamban ventured into the sea on Monday. J Justin (51) from Manthoppu in Thangachimadam, along with four other fishermen — S Tenison (39), J Mobin (24), T Saiman (55) and S Sekar — went on his boat, bearing the registration number IND TN 10 MM 960. While fishing off the coast of Mannar, the Sri Lankan navy arrested them and confiscated the boat late on Monday night.
The five were remanded till August 7, and fishermen sources said four of them belong to the same family.
From the Pamban port on Monday, a motorised country boat, bearing the registration number IND-TN-10-MO-1595 and owned by David of Pamban, ventured into the sea with nine fishermen on board. In the wee hours of Tuesday, a patrol unit of the Sri Lankan navy arrested the fishermen, after the boat allegedly entered Sri Lankan waters.
The nine have been identified as K Raja (44), G Anandam (49), W Murugeshan (51), Tikshan (24), R Murugadas (41), M Ariyappan (38), R Sannimel (27), S Kottesami (45) and P Murugan (42). All of them were remanded in custody till August 5. Sources added that some of the boats fishing near the IMBL were chased away by the SL navy.
CM MK Stalin has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to address the matter with urgency through appropriate diplomatic channels and secure the early release of all the fishermen. He also expressed concern over such repeated arrests.