Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday wrote to Union Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar to seek a waiver of the penalty imposed by the Maldives government on the 12 fishermen from Tamil Nadu in its custody and secure their release.
In his letter, he emphasised that the fishermen and their families depended only on their catch for their livelihoods and the exorbitant fine was well beyond their means. “It threatens to permanently impoverish them and their families,” the Chief Minister contended in his letter. A copy of the letter was shared with the media.
Mr. Stalin asked the Union Minister to seek a waiver of the imposed penalty of ₹2.25 crore (MVR 42,00,000) and secure their release along with their fishing vessel. “I believe that your timely intervention can bring relief to these fishermen and their families, who are currently facing an extremely difficult situation,” he added.
A total of 12 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were apprehended by the Maldives National Defense Force on October 22 over alleged charges of trespassing and fishing in the maritime zones of the island nation.
On November 1, the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture of the Republic of Maldives imposed the fine on the operator of the fishing vessel. The penalty was to be settled within 30 days, failing which the vessel would be detained.
