Secure release of TN fishermen held in Kavaratti: Kin

MADURAI: The aggrieved families of seven Tamil Nadu fishermen, who remain detained after being apprehended off the coast of Lakshadweep on grounds of crossing the maritime border, have sought the intervention of International Fishermen Development Trust (INFIDET) to help their release.

Among those in detention, two fishermen belong to the southern coastal area of Tamil Nadu.

The fishermen in detention were helpless forcing the families contact INFIDET and its president P Justin Antony and requested Chief Minister MK Stalin, the Fisheries Minister, and Kanniyakumari Collector to help them release along with the boat. Those fishermen ventured into the sea off Thengapattanam harbour on April 16 by a mechanized boat, ‘Grace’, Antony said on Saturday. But when they were engaged in deep sea fishing on May 6, the boat with seven fishermen was detained by the Kavaratti authorities. While Sesadimai, the boat sailor and Siluvayyan belong to Chinnathurai in Kanniyakumari, Praveenkumar and Arunkumar are from Akkaraipettai in Nagapattinam.

The other detainees are Periyasamy (Cuddalore), Thinakaran (Villupuram )and Premkumar (Madurai). Further, he said the detained fishermen have to appear before the Adjudicating Officer and Director of Fisheries, Fisheries Unit, Kavaratti within two days for inquiry as a formal procedure of Lakshadweep Marine Fishing Regulation.