Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to make diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the Tamil Nadu fishermen who had been arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Mr. Stalin also requested the Prime Minister to initiate diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the fishermen who were incarcerated by the Pakistani authorities on January 3, and four fishermen detained by the Kuwait Coastal Police on December 5 last year. There had been a “significant rise” in the number of arrests of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities over the past few years, he said.
The Chief Minister also drew the attention of Mr. Modi to the increasing attacks on Tamil fishermen and the damage inflicted on their boats and equipment by “unidentified persons” in the seas, saying it had added a new layer of concern to an already precarious situation. “Such acts not only endanger the lives of the fishermen but also exacerbate the economic hardships they face,” he said.
In 2023, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 243 fishermen and seized 37 boats. However, in the past 28 days alone, 88 fishermen and 12 boats had been apprehended in six incidents, he pointed out.
Referring to an amendment made to the Fisheries Act by Sri Lanka in 2018, he said: “Due to this action of Sri Lanka, the seized fishing boats of our fishermen that are in good condition cannot be salvaged and brought back to Tamil Nadu.”
Many fishermen had spent their life savings on purchasing and maintaining their boats, but the nationalisation of these boats without proper compensation or alternative arrangements pushed the fishermen and their families into financial distress, Mr. Stalin said. He reiterated his request to the Prime Minister to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to make necessary amendments, withdraw the nationalisation of apprehended Indian fishing boats and release them immediately.
Collaborative efforts were essential to establishing a framework that respected the traditional fishing rights of these communities while ensuring the security of all the parties involved, Mr. Stalin said, and urged Mr. Modi to take swift action to revive the Joint Working Group set up for the purpose and ensure the release of 77 fishermen and 151 boats from Sri Lanka.
