RAMESWARAM: Ending their four-day strike in protest against the arrest of 69 Tamil fishermen and seizure of 10 boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, 1,500 Mandapam fishermen ventured into the sea in 326 boats on Saturday.
The Lankan Navy arrested 69 fishermen from Rameswaram, Mandapam, Mayiladuthurai and seized 10 boats between December 18 and 20 on charges of trespassing the International Maritime Boundary Line. These include 43 Rameswaram fishers who were on six boats and 12 Mandapam fishers who were on two boats.
Condemning the arrests and demanding the release of the fishermen lodged at Sri Lankan prisons, Rameswaram fishermen began indefinite strike on December 20 while Mandapam fishers began their strike on December 21.
“In a show of support for the 12 Mandapam fishermen who were arrested on December 19 and as a mark of protest against the Lankan Navy, we stayed off the seas for four days. However, to protect the livelihood of the fishermen from this region during this festival season, the strike has been called off by Mandapam fishermen on Saturday,” the president of Traditional Fishermen Association (Mandapam) M Jahir Hussain told TNIE.
Meanwhile, Rameswaram fishermen continue their indefinite strike. Fishermen leaders are likely to travel to New Delhi in a couple of days, seeking the Union government’s intervention in the issue.