T.N. insists on release of fishermen’s boats
August 30, 2014 11:07 am
The Tamil Nadu government has reiterated its demand for immediate release of 62 fishing boats seized by Sri Lanka, the Hindu reports.
The Indian State has articulated this stand in a written response to Raja Sekhar Vundru, Joint Secretary (Fisheries) of the Union government and chairperson of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Committee on Fisheries, at the first meeting of the committee in New Delhi on Friday.
The government also renewed its call that fishermen fishing in the Palk Bay should not be apprehended, harassed or attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy. In the event of their arrest, they should be immediately released along with their boats.
Seeking the release of five fishermen and their boat, the government said the fishermen, lodged in Sri Lankan jails in connection with narcotic cases since 2011, were innocent, and the cases were foisted on them.
Reiterating its commitment to the restoration of the traditional fishing rights of fishermen in the Palk Bay, the State again demanded the retrieval of Katchatheevu, which “had been an integral part of India since time immemorial.”
