CHENNAI: Expressing concern over the arrest of 17 more fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Lankan Navy, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure immediate release of all the 31 fishermen under Lankan custody (including the 17 arrested on June 20) and their 23 boats.
“These arrests vitiate the congenial atmosphere in which the Government of Tamil Nadu facilitated three rounds of bilateral fishermen-level talks held in Chennai and Colombo since January, 2014,” the Chief Minister said in her letter to the Prime Minister.
Jayalalithaa said the recurring instances of apprehension of fishermen while they were engaged in fishing in their traditional fishing waters in the Palk Bay and their prolonged detention had been causing great unrest among the fishermen community across the State.
“Further, the Sri Lankan strategy of not releasing the boats of the fishermen is causing great long-term economic loss to the poor fishermen, whose only means of livelihood is being snatched away. Eighteen fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen continue to be in Lankan custody for more than three months and in addition, 14 fishermen along with their three boats apprehended on June 1, 2015, are yet to be released”, she recalled.
Jayalalithaa recalled that she had challenged the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in Supreme Court, on extremely valid and legal grounds. Further, she said, the Centre was yet to respond to the State government’s request for a financial package of Rs 1,520 crore for finding a permanent solution to the problem. The package was sought to diversify fishing activity from the shallow Palk Bay to the under-exploited oceanic waters.
