CHENNAI: The rising number of detention of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy is sharpening the response from Tamil Nadu government, with the Chief Minister charging the Centre with not putting enough pressure on the island government to stop the harassment.
In the latest string of detentions, 32 fishermen and five boats were detained in three batches by the Lankan navy on Saturday and Sunday. “It is reported that a fisherman attempted to swallow a broken glass out of fear and mental stress [which] indicates the desperate situation,” said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in his latest letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
There have been six such apprehensions in just four days since Thursday, which has taken the total number of fishermen in Lankan custody to 85 and fishing boats to 128.
From requesting and urging the Centre as he did in previous letters, Palaniswami criticised the Centre of not doing enough to bring about a lasting solution. One such was the comprehensive project to convert mechanised trawlers to deep sea long liners and create related infrastructure to reduce the fishermen’s dependency on fish resources in the Palk Straits.
“Based on [Centre’s] advice, the first batch of fishermen have also been trained in deep sea long liner fishing operations. But despite our repeated requests, neither has the package of Rs 1,650 crore been approved nor does there seem to be adequate pressure built up on Sri Lanka to desist from day to day harassment and arrest of our fishermen,” the Chief Minister said in the letter.
In effect, charged Palaniswami, the fishermen from the State have been left at the complete mercy of the Lankan Navy, “which picks them up at random, incarcerates them for months together, and fails to return their boats for years together despite commitments made in the talks which take place from time to time.”
Citing examples from around the world, including South-East Asia in the neighbourhood, where countries that share maritime boundaries work out a solution through diplomatic channels so as to allow the fishermen to continue to go about their livelihood without harassment, he said “There is no reason why a similar arrangement cannot be put in place between India and Sri Lanka.”