RAMANATHAPURAM/PUDUKKOTTAI: The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 22 Indian fishermen and seized four trawlers for allegedly crossing IMBL near northwest of Delft Island, Jaffna, on Wednesday night.
The seized trawlers and fishermen were produced before the Oorkaval Thurai Court and sent to 12 days judicial custody.
According to sources, around 1,500 fishermen went fishing on 405 mechanised boats from Mandapam harbour on Wednesday morning. Out of the 22 arrested fishermen, five are from Mandapam (Deva, Natarajan, Nagarajan, Sandhya and Ghibran) while 17 belong to Pudukkottai and Nagapattinam districts.
K Akila of Jegathapattiam in Pudukkottai, told TNIE, “My husband, two elder brothers and two younger brothers have been arrested and our boat has been seized. I request the government to bring them back.”
P Maruthu of Meenavar Visai Padagu Sangam, Jegathapattiam, said, “Before 20 years, we had 500 boats.
Now, only 110 are left. When a fisherman loses a boat, he loses everything. So, he packs his baggage and moves to a different place. If the Union and state government do not find a lasting solution to the issue, no fisherman will be found here in the future.”
Condemning the arrest, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the Minister of External Affairs, Jaishankar, to take quick action in this regard. Deputy director of the fisheries department Kathavarayan said the government will provide a minimum sum of Rs 250 every day to the families of the arrested fishermen till they are brought back.