Three fishermen from Kodiyakkarai near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy at sea, early on Friday, December 8, 2023, when they were fishing several nautical miles off the Kodiyakkarai coast.
According to police sources, M. Packirisamy, 40 and S. Rajkumar, 33, both from Vellapallam in Nagapattinam district, and R. Sakthi, 46, from Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district, all staying temporarily in Kodiyakkarai, had ventured into the sea to fish, in a fibreglass boat on Thursday (December 7) afternoon.
When they were fishing mid-sea roughly 16 nautical miles to the southeast of Kodiyakkarai coast, they were allegedly intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy. Two of the Sri Lankan Navy personnel reportedly boarded the boat and assaulted them using ropes, said sources. They also allegedly damaged 15 kg of fishing net, seized 20 kg of crab and a mobile phone from the fishermen, and chased them away.
