CHENNAI, RAMANATHAPURAM: With the number of fishermen from Tamil Nadu in Sri Lankan custody going up by eight after the latest detentions in the late hours on Wednesday, Chief Minister ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami shot off yet another letter to Prime Minister Modi, seeking a decisive action to stop continuing arrests and also to free the men and equipment in custody.
There were two incidents that were reported on Thursday.
In the first, eight fishermen who set out from Kottaipattinam and Jegathapattinam fishing bases in Pudukkottai in mechanised boats were detained and taken to Kangesanthurai in Sri Lanka. In the second instance, a mechanised boat carrying four fishermen from Pudukkottai was allegedly sunk by the Lankan Navy after ramming it with a naval boat (number 42). The men were reportedly rescued by fellow fishermen.
Meanwhile, a Bill to ban bottom trawling, among other illegal fishing methods, is expected to be tabled in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Thursday (June 6), reported news website ColomboPage. Fishermen from TN and Puducherry would be severely affected if the ban is imposed. The Bill also calls for a ten-time-increase in the fines imposed on fishermen, who perform illegal fishing activities.
Speaking to Express, B Jesuraj, District Secretary of TN Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association said, “With our meager amount of income, we are not even able to manage day to day expenses. Since the fishing area is less, this Bill will force Indian fishermen to leave their jobs.”