Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 11 fishermen and 135 boats currently in the custody of Sri Lankan authorities. In his letter to Mr. Modi, Mr. Palaniswami referred to his earlier communication and termed it a “long pending livelihood issue” of the fisherfolk living in the coastal districts.
Alleging that the Sri Lankan government was following a “deft strategy” of not releasing the boats even after the release of the fishermen, which pushed them into a “poverty-stricken” state, the Chief Minister urged Mr. Modi to initiate all necessary diplomatic actions to secure the early release of the boats.
The boats were berthed and were in “imminent threat of irreparable damage” the Chief Minister said, and urged the Prime Minister to take up the issue with authorities concerned in Sri Lanka.