TMC leader condemns arrest of T.N. fishermen
Tamil Manila Congress president G.K. Vasan condemned the arrest of 21 Rameswaram fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and the seizure of their mechanised boats.
In a post on ◣ (formerly Twitter), he said that the Central and State governments should take immediate steps to ensure the safety and livelihood of Tamil Nadu fishermen.
The Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday night arrested 21 Rameswaram fishermen and impounded two of their trawlers.
According to reports, the Navy personnel, who were on surveillance duty, arrested the fishers near Neduntheevu islet and took them to the Kankesanthurai port for interrogation. They were held on charges of poaching and crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line.
Fisheries Department officials in Rameswaram said that more than 3,000 fishermen had ventured into the Palk Bay for fishing. The 21 fishermen — 12 in one boat and nine in the second — are likely to be produced before a court in Sri Lanka and sent to judicial custody.
Fisherfolk in Rameswaram, Thangachimadam and Mandapam were shocked to hear about the fresh arrests.
“This [the arrest] has only shown the lackadaisical attitude of the governments here. They have not redressed our genuine grievances despite several appeals. Only last month, our leaders met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi and submitted memoranda. But, no steps have been taken to protect us...,” the fishermen said.
Fishermen leader P. Jesu Raja told The Hindu that the arrest came within a few hours of announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates.
“We don’t know where to go and plead now. Our plight is so bad that we want to give up fishing in the Palk Bay. We have doubts whether the promises made to us by political leaders [will be fulfilled],” he said.
‘Helpless situation’
He added: “The Sri Lankan courts had already awarded six months, oneyear and twoyear jail terms to five of our fishermen. Now, the authorities have detained 21 fishermen and two trawlers. With the model code of conduct coming into effect, neither officials nor politicians will take up our case. We are in a helpless situation...”