Tamil Nadu News: Sri Lankan Navy Arrests Indian Fishermen

Tamil Nadu News: Sri Lankan Navy arrests Indian fishermen, CM Stalin writes a letter to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar for release.

Sri Lankan Navy arrested 12 Indian fishermen from Point Pedro in Jaffna and seized their boats. Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Captain Indica DeSilva said the arrests were made on Sunday.

The fishermen were illegally fishing in the waters of Sri Lanka. The incident comes two days after the two-month fishing ban in Tamil Nadu ended and fishermen returned to work.

Keeping in mind the breeding of fish, a ban on fishing was imposed in the state for two months. It is noteworthy that many fishermen from Tamil Nadu are lodged in Sri Lankan jails.

Despite several high-level meetings and discussions between the two countries, the issue is yet to be resolved.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday urged External Affairs Minister  S Jaishankar to take appropriate action for the immediate release of 12 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In a letter to the External Affairs Minister, the Chief Minister said, “This arrest scares the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and is also likely to create a sense of insecurity and fear in the coastal areas of the state.

Therefore, I request you to request that the 12 fishermen end the matter through suitable diplomatic channels to ensure the immediate release of their fishing boats.

Tamil Nadu News: Out of the 12 Indian fishermen arrested, 7 are from Tamil Nadu and 5 are from Puducherry.

He further informed that Tamil Nadu fishermen have recently resumed fishing after an annual ban period of 61 days ending June 15, 2022.

The fifth meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode on 25 March this year.

The Joint Working Group discussed in detail all relevant issues, including concerns relating to fishermen and fishing boats, which have been on the agenda of bilateral discussions between India and Sri Lanka for many years.