CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to secure the release of 29 Indian fishermen and their 79 fishing vessels.
Drawing the Prime Minister's attention to the third instance of arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan navy within a span of few weeks, the Chief Minister said the incident has come as a rude shock to the people of the state.
"In this latest instance of high handedness, the Sri Lankan navy arrested 11 Indian fishermen on February 7 and took them to Mayilatti Naval Base, Sri Lanka," he said.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was made available to the media here, Stalin said 29 fishermen, including 11 detained on Monday, were arrested till now and 79 fishing boats have been impounded by the Lankan authorities.
Through his repeated appeals to the Centre, he had hoped for a positive change in the hostile environment created against the fishermen living in districts along the Palk Bay while fishing in the traditional waters.
"Unfortunately, there are no signs of abatement of instances of apprehensions of Tamil Nadu fishermen so far," he said.
Taking a larger view of the subject, he sincerely considered that the issue deserved more serious attention and that diplomatic remedies should be found at the appropriate level.
The situation warranted a strong and coordinated response from the Central government at the highest level as the issue of frequent harassment and arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen is an abrogation of their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay area, he argued.
"This is not only a livelihood issue of thousands of our fisherfolk but also a persistent threat to their lives on sea and challenge to the rights of our fishermen to fish in the traditional waters," Stalin said in the letter.
"The recent developments are taking larger social and political dimension in the regional fabric and I see a need for an immediate and brisk involvement of our diplomatic channels to settle it on a long term basis," he said.