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Tamil Nadu:Fishermen held in Lanka, CM seeks MEA help
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Tuesday raised concerns over the arrest of nine fishermen from the state by the Lankan Navy less than a week after the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday raised concerns over the arrest of nine fishermen from the state by the Lankan Navy less than a week after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Stalin requested external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday to take “all possible diplomatic efforts” to ensure the release of the fishermen, return their seized boats, and “re-emphasise the significance of finding a lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the issue of fishing rights in the Palk Bay region.”
On July 24, the Lankan Navy arrested nine fishermen and seized two of their boats for allegedly violating the maritime boundary. “I am writing with deep concern and disappointment regarding the continued arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy, even after my recent request to step up diplomatic efforts to resolve this long-standing issue,” Stalin said in his letter to Jaishankar.
Ahead of Wickremesinghe’s two-day visit to Delhi on July 20, Stalin had requested Modi to raise two main issues during their diplomatic talks. One of those was the retrieval of Katchatheevu island to protect the traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen.
“I had hoped that this visit would provide an opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue and find a lasting solution that respects the rights and livelihoods of both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen,” Stalin said. “However, it has come to my attention that despite the high-level interactions between the two nations, the situation on the ground remains unchanged.”
The fishermen, from Tamil Nadu’s Mandapam went into the seas on Monday morning and were apprehended the same night between Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu, said the state fisheries minister Anitha Radhakrishnan.
“The fishing communities in Tamil Nadu continue to face immense hardships due to the recurrent arrests and seizure of their boats,” Stalin said. “These incidents strain bilateral relations and inflict severe socio-economic repercussions on the affected families.”
