Seeking the Centre’s support in finding a permanent solution to the continued arrests of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel along the Palk Bay area, a fishermen delegation from Ramanathapuram met Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday.
Speaking to The Hindu, fishermen leader P Jesu Raja, who was part of the delegation, said that they apprised the External Affairs Minister of the present situation in the presence of Union Minister L. Murugan.
The fishermen said that they were being detained on ‘false’ charges of poaching by the Navy personnel and jailed. In the recent times, the Sri Lankan government had awarded jail terms of six months for boatman and one/two year imprisonment for fishermen for repeating offence.
Such a “treatment” has created panic among the fishermen and the survival had become a big question mark. Hence, they had decided not to venture into the sea until they got an assurance.
“The only solution will be to hold a dialogue with the Sri Lankan government by the Centre...” they appealed.
The External Affairs Minister was also briefed about the number of trawlers being impounded by the Sri Lankan authorities. Since 2018, a little over 150 mechanised boats, which were impounded, had not been returned. As a result, they were lying abandoned in their docks.
“Only when the boats were retrieved, the fishermen can venture into the sea and repay their debts,” Mr Jesu Raja said.
The Ramanathapuram BJP district office-bearers had arranged the meeting after consulting their Tamil Nadu BJP unit.
A similar delegation from Nagapattinam and Karaikal had also met the Ministers in New Delhi and made representations.
Meanwhile, a peace committee meeting was held by officials from the Police, Revenue and Fisheries Department with the fishermen leaders in Rameswaram.
The fishermen said that they were told to reconsider the indefinite boycott and to drop the plan to take out a march to the Ramanathapuram Collectorate on Tuesday.
The fishermen had planned to hand over the Aadhaar card and other documents to the Collector as a mark of protest.
The fishermen had also announced that they would not participate in the two-day annual St. Antony’s church festival at Katchatheevu from February 23.
The Mandapam fishermen associations had not ventured into the sea on Monday to show their support to the agitating fishermen from Rameswaram.
