Arrest of 17 fishermen: Protest in Thangachimadam condemning Sri Lankan Navy

MADURAI: Several fisher folks blocked road at Thangachimadam, a coastal hamlet in Ramanathapuram district, on Sunday in protest against the arrest of 17 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on grounds of trespassing territorial waters.

The fishermen set out to sea off Rameswaram by two mechanised boats on Saturday after obtaining permit tokens from the Fisheries Department, but were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu on the same night, sources said.

The agitating fishers raised slogans condemning the Indian and the Sri Lankan government and at one stage some of them lay down on the road.

Vehicular traffic was disrupted for some time and the police personnel eventually evicted them.

N Devadoss, president, Rameswaram Fishermen Cooperative Society said it is unfortunate that even after being arrested, the Tamil Nadu fishermen were facing hefty fines imposed by the Sri Lankan government.

Last week, the jailed fishermen faced an unprecedented penalty of Rs1.5 crore.

In the recent past, the Sri Lankan authorities have threatened huge fines for alleged trespassing. Fearing arrest, only about 200 trawlers among a fleet of 650 boats ventured into sea off Rameswaram on Saturday, he said.

Condemning the central government for its ignorance, R Sagayam, a fisherman from Thangachimadam, said during a meeting convened on September 20, representatives of fishermen associations from Rameswaram, Mookaiyur, Keelakarai, Erwadi, Thoothukudi, Tharuvaikulam, Karaikal and Nagapattinam decided to stage rail roko during the inaugural ceremony of the newly established Pamban sea bridge in October.