Jayalalithaa derails Tamil Nadu-Lanka fisher folk meet with Dr. Senaratne
A Tamil Nadu based fisheries group due in Sri Lanka for talks with Fisheries Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne and fishermen societies in Sri Lanka, yesterday said they were yet to get permission from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa to travel for the meeting.
The delegation was earlier due in Sri Lanka in July, on an invitation from Minister Basil Rajapaksa, following his recent visit to India. Indo- Lanka Fisher Folk Platform Convenor N. Devadas in Tamil Nadu, told the Sunday Times in a telephone interview that, as Ms Jayalalithaa did not give permission, they met with Opposition Leader M. Karunanidhi and his daughter who is a Minister in the Central Government.
“We have now proposed that the Central Government should allow Sri Lankan fishermen into Indian territorial waters and Sri Lanka should reciprocate,” he said.
He said plans were under way to invite a group of Sri Lankan fishermen to Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Ms Jayalalithaa has suggested to Prime Minister Manmo- han Singh to facilitate discussions between the fishing communities of Sri Lanka and India, but has blocked an Indian delegation from her state coming to Sri Lanka.
Ms Jayalalitha, in a letter to the Prime Minister, said she wanted the talks to focus on the commitment made in the previous rounds of fishermen- level discussions held in August 2010 and March 2011.
She wanted the proposed talks to discuss ways and means of speedy and smooth repatriation of the Indian fishermen, apart from preventing seizure and confisca- tion of their boats/ fishing equipment by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Referring to a Tamil Nadu fishermen’s request, Ms Jayalalithaa stated that “our fishermen, in an accommodative frame of mind, are eager to sort out the day- to- day issues faced by them, by engaging in talks with the fishermen from Sri Lanka, even though the situation is tense in the coastal districts [ of the State].”
She pointed out that 754 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were involved in 39 separate incidents over the last twoand-a-half-years.