T.N. CM Stalin writes to PM Modi urging him to raise fishermen issue with Sri Lanka PM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya’s visit, urging him to raise the issue of retrieving Katchatheevu Island and addressing the repeated harassment of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
In his letter, Stalin said that since 2021, 1,482 fishermen and 198 fishing boats from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended in 106 separate incidents, causing deep distress and economic loss to the coastal communities.
“The fishing communities of Tamil Nadu continue to face significant hardships due to recurring incidents of harassment, attacks, and apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy,” he said.
Stalin pointed out that the state government had raised the matter eleven times with the Prime Minister’s Office and made seventy-two representations to the Union Minister for External Affairs.
He said the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s visit provided “a valuable opportunity to address the persistent challenges faced by Indian fishermen in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay.”
Reiterating Tamil Nadu’s long-standing demand, the Chief Minister urged Modi to raise the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island, which he said was “historically part of India” but was transferred to Sri Lanka in 1974 without the consent of the state government or due parliamentary process.