Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday wrote to the Union government requesting to secure the immediate release of all the apprehended fishermen and their fishing boats and to ensure necessary legal assistance to the fishermen detained by Sri Lanka.
In his letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Mr. Stalin referred to the recent incident on March 21 in which 32 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and five mechanised boats were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.
“Over the past few weeks, there have been multiple occurrences of fishermen from India being detained by Sri Lankan authorities, causing distress and uncertainty among their families and communities,” Mr. Stalin said.
In the past two weeks alone, 76 fishermen have been detained, Mr. Stalin recalled and further contended that “decisive action” must be taken without any further delay to address this festering issue and to ensure the safety and well-being of the affected fishermen. A copy of the CM’s letter was shared with the media.
The Chief Minister also insisted that legal assistance needed to be provided for the fishermen who have been sentenced by the Sri Lankan courts.
