In the wake of the arrest of five fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday calling for the Centre’s intervention to secure their release.
“The repeated arrest and prolonged incarceration of our fishermen create unrest among the fishermen community of Tamil Nadu. I request the Government of India to undertake a strong diplomatic stand so as to prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” Mr. Palaniswami wrote to Mr. Modi. A copy of the letter was released to the media.
Reaffirming Tamil Nadu government’s commitment to find a pragmatic solution to the issue, the Chief Minister said, “This necessitates an urgent intervention at the highest level of Sri Lankan administration to avert these arrests and to release and return the fishing boats and equipment of our fishermen in a refurbished condition so as to win the confidence of our fishing community.”
Mr. Palaniswami also urged the Prime Minister to direct the Union Ministry of External Affairs to secure the immediate release of 16 fishermen and 136 fishing boats without any delay.
A total of five fishermen, who set out on board a fishing boat on June 17 from Mandapam of Ramanathapuram district after the 61- day-long fishing ban, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing off the Palk Bay in the early hours of June 18 and were taken to Karainagar, Sri Lanka.