Chennai, Apr 9 (UNI) In yet another incident, ten Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel while they were fishing in high seas on Thursday morning.
The fishermen, hailing from Rameswaram Island in coastal RamanathaPuram district,had ventured out into the sea last night and and were fishing in their traditional waters, when they were arrested by the Lankan Navy on charges of poaching in their territorial waters after crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and impounded their boat.
They were fishing near the Dhanushkodi area when a Sri Lankan Navy patrol boat, intercepted them and detained them.
Later they were taken to Talaimannar fishing habour in Sri Lanka and handed over to the fisheries department officials for further action.
The fresh incident of arrests comes close on the heels of apprehension of seven Rameswaram fishermen about two weeks back despite Chief Minister M K Stalin time and again writing to the Centre seeking to find a lasting solution to this vexatious issue which has been causing heartburn among the fishing community.
During every incident of arrest, the fisherfolk community resorted to protest demonstrations and shouted slogans denouncing the Sri Lankan government for frequent arrests of TN fishermen and demanded their release. They also sought the immediate intervention of the union Government and take steps to prevent such incidents.
The unabated arrests of fishermen, who were solely dependant on the sea for their livelihood, has caused much heartburn among the fishing community.
The latest incident comes in the backdrop of various fishermen associations repeatedly resorting to strikes staying away from sea to condemning the arrests.
The alarming spurt in Incidents of arrests of TN fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has been causing much concern among their families and the fishing community at large despite repeated appeals from the fishermen associations for diplomatic intervention and a permanent solution to the long-standing issue in the Palk Strait.
The incident of arrests at frequent intervals were going on unabated despite Mr Stalin repeatedly writing to the union Government seeking urgent steps through diplomatic channels to secure the release of apprehended fishermen, besides convening the Joint Working Group of fishermen associations between the two countries to find a lasting solution to this emotional issue.
This was also reiterated in the Governor's address in the State Assembly on the opening day of the first session of New Year.
Mr Stalin had also been urging the Centre to retrieve Katchtheevu, an islet, ceded to Sri Lanka through a pact in 1974 and said this alone will provide a lasting solution to restore the traditional fishing rights of the fishermen. The government had also adopted resolutions in this regard in the State Assembly and forwarded it to the Centre, but a solution remained still elusive.
The frequent arrest of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy also formed a major poll plank with various political parties urging the Centre to find a permanent solution and safeguard the livelihood of the fishermen.
UNI GV 0855