CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in securing the release of nine fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy stating their rights were "consistently infringed".
In her letter to the Prime Minister, she said, "The historic rights of the fishermen from Tamil Nadu to their peaceful avocation of fishing in the traditional waters of the Palk Bay are being consistently infringed upon by the Sri Lankan Navy and our fishermen are put to untold hardship."
She requested the Prime Minister to proactively initiate an "appropriate" and "calibrated" set of actions to bring a permanent solution to this "sensitive issue.
She appealed to Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry to take up the matter with the Lankan authorities to secure the immediate release of the fishermen along with the boats.
Nine fishermen hailing from Jegathapattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested for allegedly fishing in Lankan waters in the sea off Analaitheevu near Jaffna yesterday.
The Lankan naval personnel also seized the fishermen's boats.