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.
