Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin on December 24 urged Union External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar to secure the release of 17 apprehended fishermen and their fishing boats from the Sri Lankan Navy’s custody through diplomatic efforts.
The arrests, which also involved the seizure of two boats, happened on Tuesday while the fishermen were operating in waters between Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi, reports said.
“I want to bring to your immediate attention to the recent incident of apprehension of 17 fishermen from Rameswaram along with their two mechanised fishing boats bearing Registration Nos.IND-TN-10-MM- 206 and IND-TN-10-MM-543 by the Sri Lankan Navy on 24.12.2024,” Stalin wrote in the letter to Jaishankar on Tuesday, December 24, as reported by news agency ANI.
The Chief Minister has urged Jaishankar to take swift diplomatic action to secure the release of the fishermen and their boats. He also called for measures to prevent further attacks and ensure the safety and stability of Tamil Nadu’s fishing community.
Two separate incidents
Stalin also brought attention to two separate incidents of attack on the fishermen in the letter.
“Further, I would also like to bring to your attention two separate incidents of attack on our fishermen from Kodiyakkarai Village, Nagapattinam District by six unidentified Sri Lankan nationals on 20.12.2024. In this outrageous incident, three out of six fishermen who sailed in two country crafts were injured and their belongings such as GPS equipment, VHF equipment, fishing net, mobile phone and their fish catch were robbed from their fishing boats by the attackers,” reads the letter, according to the news agency report.
CM Stalin said that these kinds of 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.”
“In 2024 alone, 530 fishermen were arrested and 71 boats have been confiscated till date. The recent apprehensions and attacks have created a sense of fear among the fishing folks who are solely dependent on fishing for their livelihood,” he added.
He further requested to kindly take concerted steps through appropriate diplomatic channels to secure the immediate release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats.
These kinds of frequent incidents of arrests and attacks make the lives of our fishermen highly uncertain and dangerous.
“I also request that diplomatic steps may be taken to ensure that such attacks do not occur in future,” CM Stalin said.
