Rameswaram fisherfolk keep off sea in protest

MADURAI: Fishing operations were suspended off Rameswaram coast on Monday as fishermen have struck work condemning the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. P Jesuraja, president, Ramanathapuram District All Mechanised Boats Association said over six hundred mechanized boats remain anchored in shore waters of Rameswaram. Such arrests have become a recurring event and their boats have also been detained by the Naval force. The on-day token strike was aimed at stressing both the state and the central governments to intervene with Sri Lankan authorities and hold talks to prevent such detention and bring back the Tamil Nadu boats being detained in Sri Lanka. The fishermen would stage an attention seeking demonstration at Thangachimadam on Tuesday to highlight these demands, he added.