Pudukai, Karaikal groups join Rameswaram fishermen in fight against Lanka’s actions
The fishermen from Rameswaram, also hit by arrests and seizure of boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, have struck work to press for securing the release of fishermen and their boats from the region.
Members of fishermen associations holding talks
MADURAI: Jolted by the recent imprisonment of three of their mates in Sri Lanka, sentenced to 6 months in jail, fishermen from Pudukottai and Karaikal have asked for support from their brethren in Rameswaram on Saturday, to put up a united fight.
The fishermen from Rameswaram, also hit by arrests and seizure of boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, have struck work to press for securing the release of fishermen and their boats from the region. Their fishing fleet remains anchored on the shores because of the strike. S Emarit, president, Rameswaram All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association said, the fishermen of Ramanathapuram district have decided to surrender their voter identity cards to the district administration on April 8 in protest.
VP Sesuraja, president, Traditional Indian Fishermen Welfare Association said, during a meeting convened in Rameswaram, the representatives of fishermen associations from Pudukottai and Karaikal district sought their support in getting the release of the 3 fishermen imprisoned because of recent draconian acts passed by the Sri Lankan government. “It is unfortunate that the Sri Lankan government brought in the new law imposing tough rules on Indian fishermen, which results in the imprisonment of more and more venturing into the seas from Tamil Nadu. Several fishermen were arrested and over 160 Tamil Nadu fishing boats were detained since 2018 and remain in Sri Lankan custody,” he said.
Currently, five fishermen of Ramanathapuram district are also imprisoned in Sri Lanka, fishermen associations said. If the central government did not take steps to ensure the early release of TN fishermen and their boats from Sri Lankan custody, the fishermen would organise a massive protest joining hands with fishermen from Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Ramanathapuram districts, Sesuraja said. The fishermen are also contemplating a boycott of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, if the Centre fails to do enough in this matter.
Arrests of Indian fishermen and impounding their boats are sadly turning out to be a never-ending ordeal, pushing their livelihood on the fringes.
