Condemning the arrest of 49 fishermen from Rameswaram by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to summon the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi and lodge the Government of India’s protest against this latest act of illegal and high-handed abduction of innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu in the Palk Bay.
“The Centre should convey in no uncertain terms its indignation at this latest act of abduction of innocent Indian fishermen and ensure that the Sri Lankan Navy is restrained from making such unprovoked assaults,” the Chief Minister said in her letter to the Prime Minister.
She also requested the PM to instruct Indian diplomats in Colombo to immediately take up the matter with Sri Lankan government and secure the immediate release of the 49 fishermen and their boats.
She recalled that she had been repeatedly writing to him about the travails of innocent TN fishermen who face harassment, abduction and assault at the hands of the Lankan Navy, which continues with its menacing and predatory acts in the face of pusillanimous responses and apathy by the Centre.
“Things have come to such a pass that TN fishermen are unable to access their traditional fishing waters for fear of being kidnapped or attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy. The entire fishermen community in Tamil Nadu is agitated, incensed and is in a volatile mood,” Jayalalithaa said.
Moreover, the Chief Minister pointed out in her letter that despite her repeated protests, the Central government had taken no firm stance in the matter and has exerted little or no diplomatic pressure on the Sri Lanka government to bring about a permanent solution to the frequent problem of harassment and arrests of innocent fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu.
Giving a detailed account on the arrest of 49 fishermen on Wednesday evening, the Chief Minister said it was shocking to know that one boat - TN10/MFB/1004 - which was chased away ruthlessly by the Sri Lankan Navy capsized and five fishermen on board were rescued by their fellow fishermen and managed to reach the shores of Tamil Nadu safely.