As SL detains 23, TN fishers to strike work

MADURAI: Twenty-three Tamil Nadu fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy in the early hours of Sunday for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

The fishers had set out to sea off Rameswaram by two mechanised boats owned by T Sahayaraj and A James of Thangachimadam on Saturday. The boats bearing registration ‘IND TN10 MM 458’ and ‘IND TN10 MM 215’ were detained near Delft Island.

Condemning action by Sri Lankan Navy, fellow fishermen have decided to abstain from work on Monday at a meeting organised by S Emarit, president of Rameswaram All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association.

At the meeting, the association adopted a series of resolutions aimed at seeking a permanent solution to avoid such arrests.

Over 150 boats from Tamil Nadu were detained in Sri Lankan custody after arresting fishermen in 2018. If all such detained boats were not released from Sri Lankan custody before the Lok Sabha elections and the authorities fail to address the issues, the fishing community have decided to surrender their voter ID cards and boycott the polls.

During the meeting, it was mentioned that many of the detained boats in custody were damaged and could not be restored to their original condition. In such cases, adequate compensation should be provided to the fishermen.

Despite a court order to release 10 Tamil Nadu boats from Sri Lanka, it could not be done. Hence, the central government should arrange a salvage team to bring back those boats from Sri Lanka.

Much to the agony of Nambu Murugan, a fisherman from Rameswaram languishing in jail in Sri Lanka since his detention on October 28, 2023, his family members, who solely rely on him as the breadwinner, are still deep in grief.

A court in Sri Lanka imprisoned him for two years and citing these, association chief Emarit sought the release of this fisherman on humanitarian grounds.