21 TN fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard return to Chennai

CHENNAI: As many as 21 fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard returned to Chennai on Friday night.

The fishermen from Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai went fishing to the sea in the first week of July.

While fishing in the middle of the sea the fishermen were surrounded by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard and all of them were arrested for crossing the border.

Following that the families of the fishermen requested the government to take steps to release them.

Later with the help of the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka, all the fishermen were released from the prison two days ago and they were handed to the Indian embassy officials.

The officials arranged the travel documents for the fishermen and they returned to Chennai on the Air India flight which arrived on Friday night.

The officials from the fisheries department welcomed the fishermen and arranged transport for their native.

Sri Lanka arrests 4 Pudukkottai fishermen

Even before the euphoria of getting Indian fishermen released from prison in the island nation settled down, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended four fishermen from Jegathapattinam in Pudukkottai and seized their country boat for reportedly crossing the IMBL on Saturday.

Sources said, as many as 42 boats from Jagathapattinam ventured into the sea on Saturday morning. 

Among them a crew of four fishermen who were identified as V Charan (24), V Bala (29), N Ganesan (32) and K Paramasivam (51) all from Jagathapattinam went fishing in a boat (IND TN 08 MM 1744) owned by C Veeran (51).

While they were said to have been fishing at 32 nautical miles off Neduntheevu, around 4.30 pm, a Sri Lankan navy’s fast attack vessel apprehended them on charges of crossing the IMBL.