Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take swift diplomatic action to secure the release of 17 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.
In a letter addressed to Jaishankar on Tuesday, Stalin highlighted the incident where two fishing boats carrying the fishermen were seized near Kakada Theevu for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary. The detained individuals have been taken to Mannar and Naval Camp, where investigations are ongoing.
“I want to bring to your immediate attention the recent incident of apprehension of 17 fishermen from Rameswaram along with their two mechanised fishing boats by the Sri Lankan Navy on 24.12.2024,” Stalin wrote in his letter.
He also referred to two earlier incidents on December 20, describing them as “outrageous.” These incidents involved attacks on fishermen from Kodiyakkarai Village, Nagapattinam District, allegedly by six unidentified Sri Lankan nationals.
“In this outrageous incident, three out of six fishermen who sailed in two country crafts were injured, and their belongings, including GPS equipment, VHF equipment, fishing nets, mobile phones, and their fish catch, were robbed by the attackers,” Stalin stated.
The Chief Minister emphasized the mounting challenges faced by Tamil Nadu’s fishing community. According to the letter, 530 fishermen were arrested, and 71 boats were confiscated in 2024 alone.
“These frequent incidents of arrests and attacks make the lives of our fishermen, who depend solely on fishing in their traditional waters, highly uncertain and dangerous,” Stalin noted.
Stalin urged Jaishankar to use diplomatic channels to ensure the immediate release of the detained fishermen and their fishing boats, as well as to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“I therefore request you to kindly take concerted steps through appropriate diplomatic channels to secure the immediate release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats. I also request that diplomatic steps may be taken to ensure that such attacks do not occur in future,” he appealed.
The fishing boats involved in the incident reportedly belonged to V. Anthony Aaron of Thangachimadam Victorianagar and A. Poondiraj of Thangachimadam Manthopu.