RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lanka Navy arrested seven Tamil fishermen near Neduntheevu on Wednesday late at night, for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary. The fishermen ventured into the sea from Rameswaram on Wednesday, but the Navy personnel nabbed them late at night and took them to Kankesanthurai Port.
Later, Paruthithurai Court remanded all seven fishermen in Jaffna prison till November 9. Condemning the arrests, members of the Rameswaram All Mechanised Fishing Boat Association took a resolution to demand the release of the seven fishermen, in a meeting held on Thursday.
They have also announced a one-day strike near Rameswaram and a demonstration near Thangachimadam village on Saturday. The other resolutions they passed included demanding both the State and Central governments to take immediate action on this issue and also take steps to bring back all the fishing boats, which were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy between 2018 and 2022. They also urged the authorities to provide Rs 5 lakh assistance for the fishermen who are yet to receive compensation for their damaged mechanised boats.