MADURAI: About 100 women from Kanyakumari, Arockiapuram, Kovalam, Colachel, Rajakkamangalamthurai and Thoothoor region, who are relatives of fishermen stranded in Iran due to the Covid-19 restrictions, took part in a fast in front of the Nagercoil collectorate on Wednesday pleading for steps to bring them back.
“I am suffering from tuberculosis, diabetes and have pressure but I am fasting here to get the government to repatriate my son from Iran,” said 60-year-old S Arulselvi of Manakudi. She told TOI that her son Saviour Daniston, 32, who has a five-year-old son and a six-week-old daughter who he has not seen so far. “He says they are all afraid. We petitioned the collector last Monday but my son and fellow fishermen are still awaiting help,” she lamented.
The women asked how the government can ignore the fishermen while 58 students and tourists from India have been repatriated. “The Arabian employers are telling our men that India will not come to their rescue and they will have to resume fishing,” says Mehala Reeda, 29, wife of Michael Rajan. “Let them send an aircraft or a ship to bring them all home,” she said.
G Abraham of Makkal Pathai which organised the fast said it has been 2 weeks since the nearly 800 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran raised the issue but the embassy officials have not visited them. “Luckily nobody has been infected so far but they are struggling without food and supplies,” he added. Fishermen Ascar and Robinson, who are among those stranded, said officials from embassy have not contacted them till date.
“We are managing with the available food by reducing our intake. We have asked our employers to provide food and expect it to reach us in a couple of days. We don’t know when swab samples will be collected from us for testing us for Covid-19 and repatriated,” Robinson said.
“I am suffering from tuberculosis, diabetes and have pressure but I am fasting here to get the government to repatriate my son from Iran,” said 60-year-old S Arulselvi of Manakudi. She told TOI that her son Saviour Daniston, 32, who has a five-year-old son and a six-week-old daughter who he has not seen so far. “He says they are all afraid. We petitioned the collector last Monday but my son and fellow fishermen are still awaiting help,” she lamented.
The women asked how the government can ignore the fishermen while 58 students and tourists from India have been repatriated. “The Arabian employers are telling our men that India will not come to their rescue and they will have to resume fishing,” says Mehala Reeda, 29, wife of Michael Rajan. “Let them send an aircraft or a ship to bring them all home,” she said.
G Abraham of Makkal Pathai which organised the fast said it has been 2 weeks since the nearly 800 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran raised the issue but the embassy officials have not visited them. “Luckily nobody has been infected so far but they are struggling without food and supplies,” he added. Fishermen Ascar and Robinson, who are among those stranded, said officials from embassy have not contacted them till date.
“We are managing with the available food by reducing our intake. We have asked our employers to provide food and expect it to reach us in a couple of days. We don’t know when swab samples will be collected from us for testing us for Covid-19 and repatriated,” Robinson said.
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