Attack on TN fishermen by Sri Lankan navy: We can’t be silent spectators, Stalin tells external affairs minister

TRICHY: Condemning the alleged firing on Nagapattinam fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy at mid sea on August 1, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin wrote to the external affairs minister C Jaishankar to pressurise the government of the neighbouring country not to unleash violence on Indian fishermen.
“It is highly condemnable that they launched violence against our fishermen with disregard to the international laws. We cannot be silent spectators to the issue that affects the livelihood of the thousands of Indian fishermen. We should bring in a longstanding political resolution to the issue,” he stated.
E Kalaiselvan, 33, a boat driver from Akkaraipettai, had been injured in the incident, said the chief minister, adding that nine others had escaped unhurt. The injured fisherman was undergoing treatment in Government General Hospital in Nagapattinam.
The fishermen alleged that the Sri Lankan armed forced launched the attack on them when they were fishing around 40 nautical miles southeast off Kodiyakarai. The fishermen fled the scene and reached the shore in the early hours of Monday.
The chief minister also said that the incident triggered agitation among the people in Tamil Nadu particularly among people living in coastal areas “It will be our duty to protect the lives and belongings of our people. We should also ensure that the Sri Lankan navy complies with international laws besides giving pressure to the Sri Lankan government that they should not to damage the boats and nets and attack the Indian fishermen,” he said.