Sri Lankan court releases 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen

CHENNAI: Sri Lanka's Paruthithurai court on Monday ordered the release of 14 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were lodged in Jaffna Jail with conditions. The judge also has ordered that their boat be nationalised.

The 14 released fishermen are expected to be brought back to the State soon.

As many as 14 fishermen from Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts had gone to the sea in a mechanised boat owned by Selvamani from Karaikal fishing harbour on November 15th. When they were fishing near Neduntheevu on the night of June 17, the Sri Lankan Navy personnel came and arrested them along with a mechanised boat on the pretext that they had crossed the border and were fishing. The fishermen who were later taken to the Kankesanthurai port in Sri Lanka were sent to jail after being produced in court.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written a letter to the Union External Affairs Minister seeking the release of fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and steps to release the boats.