Stalin seeks Modi’s intervention for fishermen release

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 28 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In his demi-official letter to the Prime Minister, Stalin drew his immediate attention to the most recent apprehension of 12 Tamil Nadu fishermen along with their two mechanised fishing boats by Sri Lankan Navy on March 23 and said that about 28 fishermen and 4 fishing boats have been apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy so far this year alone.

Remarking that it was highly disheartening to note that Indian fishermen were facing harassment at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy at an alarming frequency, Stalin said that the apprehension of Indian fishermen continues despite several letters of protest sent by Government of Tamil Nadu highlighting the "escalation in the number of such instances of arrests of our fishermen."

Stating that the arrests and violent attacks on Indian fishermen take place unabated despite the diplomatic initiatives taken by Government of India, the Chief Minister said, "Under these circumstances, I urge your (PM) personal intervention in this matter and request that the authorities concerned may be directed to take effective steps to secure the release of all the 28 fishermen and their fishing boats that have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy."

Urging the Prime Minister to make concerted efforts through diplomatic channels to permanently end the repeated attempts by the Sri Lankan Navy to infringe on the historic fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Bay, the Chief Minister said that a concrete and time bound plan must be drawn up in this regard urgently.

Asserting that the continuing incidents of incarceration of the fishermen and their boats have created a deep sense of despondency among the fishermen community as fishing is their only means of livelihood, Stalin pointed out that as of now, 16 Indian fishermen were already in Sri Lankan prisons and about 104 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu are under the custody of the island nation and 5 fishing boats which were released by Sri Lanka are yet to be repatriated back to India.