TN Chief Minister urges Jaishankar to secure release of fishermen from Sri Lankan custody

Tamil Nadu Chief minister M K Stalin has urged the Union government to take urgent diplomatic steps to secure the release of seven Rameswaram fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy in the early hours of Sunday. 

In a letter to Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Stalin expressed concern over the recurring arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen and called for immediate measures to end the continued harassment of those operating in the Palk Strait.

“I urge the Union government to engage all available diplomatic channels to bring an end to these continued apprehensions. I further request that urgent and effective steps be taken to secure the release of all detained fishermen and their boats at the earliest,” he said. Stalin also highlighted that 50 fishermen and 232 Tamil Nadu fishing vessels remain in Sri Lankan custody this year, compounding the economic and emotional hardship faced by their families.

The latest incident occurred around 2 am on Sunday when a mechanised trawler (IND-TN-10-MM-746), owned by V Isaac Paul of Thangachimadam, was intercepted near Neduntheevu by the Sri Lankan navy. The boat, which had left Rameswaram with valid fishing tokens issued by the fisheries department, was reportedly operating close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) when it was seized.

The arrested fishermen were identified as B Ruther, 40, P Edison, 48, K Anbalagan, 45, M Jegadeesh, 42, all from Thangachimadam; A Shanmugam, 56, F Dalvin Raj, 42 from Rameswaram; and M Sakthivel, 43, from Keerathurai in Madurai. They were initially detained at Kankesanthurai port and later remanded to judicial custody in Jaffna prison.

In a separate incident, the same morning, another mechanised boat (IND-TN-10-MM-1040), owned by Maria Seeron of Rameswaram, reportedly sustained significant damage after being hit by a Sri Lankan navy patrol vessel between Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu. However, the seven fishermen on board, Stalin, Muneeswaran, Viyakulam, Columbus, Nagesh, Stephen, and Sarath Kumar, escaped unhurt and returned safely to the Rameswaram jetty.

In the past two weeks alone, aside from this latest arrest, 15 Indian fishermen have been remanded to judicial custody in two separate incidents, with their custody extended after initial hearings.

J R Jesu Raja, leader of the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, condemned the arrests, stating, “The fishermen had no intention to violate international boundaries. The Sri Lankan navy is harassing them under the pretext of enforcement. One of the boats was even damaged while being chased.” He appealed to both the Union and state governments to take a firm stand to ensure the safety of Indian fishermen.

Source: TNN
--Agencies