Anguished over repeated fishermen arrests, OPS writes to MEA

CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) on Sunday wrote a letter to Union External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, requesting the immediate release of 23 Rameshwaram fishermen who were arrested on Sunday by the Sri Lankan Navy when they were fishing in Palk Bay.

"I am writing this letter with a deep sense of anguish and pain over the continued and repeated instances of arrests and captivity of a large number of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seizure of their fishing boats by the Sri Lankan Navy causing untold hardship to the community," Panneerselvam said in the letter.

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He pointed out the arrest of 23 fishermen along with three mechanised boats by the Lankan Navy for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. "I wish to reiterate that the frequent incidents of arrest and detention of Indian fishermen are worrisome and it creates a lot of tension and unrest among the fishermen in Tamil Nadu," he said, and urged the Indian government to issue a strong protest against the continuing arrests and incidents of violence against the Tamil Nadu fishermen and to find a permanent solution to the issue.