Sri Lankan Navy arrests 10 fishermen from Nagai
KARAIKAL: Ten fishers from Nagapattinam were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy late on Sunday for allegedly crossing IMBL. According to sources, the fishers left Nagapattinam harbour on August 3 in a trawler owned by P Senthilkumar from Akkaraipettai. They were fishing near Mullaitheevu when the Sri Lankan Navy arrested them for ‘crossing the IMBL’.
After seizing the boat and fishing gear, the navy handed them over to Sri Lankan Fisheries Directorate through the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. The fishers were produced before a magistrate in Trincomalee, who remanded them to judicial custody till August 21.
In a news statement issued on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan Navy said it would conduct operations in the island’s waters to protect the country’s fishing resources and the livelihood of its local fisherfolk. It has so far seized 14 trawlers and 93 Indian fishermen.
Fisherfolk panchayat from Akkaraipettai met officials from the fisheries department and sought action to get their colleagues repatriated. “This is the first instance of fishers from Nagai being arrested since the commencement of the fishing season,” said an official of the fisheries department. “We have sent a report to their directorate.”
Bring back 19 TN fishers, CM urges Centre
CHENNAI: Drawing the attention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the arrest of 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the seizure of their boat by the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday urged the former to take immediate steps to repatriate 19 fishermen languishing in Lankan prisons, including the 10 arrested now.
“So far, 93 fishermen have been arrested and 14 boats seized this year alone. In the last 30 days alone, 34 fishermen have been apprehended in three separate incidents,” Stalin said in a letter to Jaishankar.
Stalin said the seizure of boats and frequent arrests have resulted in immense hardship to coastal communities.
Reiterating the need for pursuing diplomatic channels to find a lasting solution, Stalin said, “I am confident your intervention will resolve this matter swiftly, providing much-needed relief to the affected families,” Stalin said.