RAMANATHAPURAM: Condemning the arrest of country boat fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Pamban fishermen commenced an indefinite strike on Sunday. The fishermen associations in Ramanathapuram will be meeting country boat and fishermen associations across the state to call for a statewide protest.
Sources said, the Sri Lankan navy has recently arrested 35 country boat fishermen hailing from Pamban for alleged violation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The fishermen were imprisoned and their boats confiscated. Notably, this is the second time the Lankan navy has arrested country boat fishermen since July 2024. They had confiscated seven country boats in two months.
The fishermen started their strike on Sunday by anchoring their country boats in Pamban.
A member of the country boat fishermen association, Rayappan of Pamban, said that a special meeting will be hosted to discuss further protests. He added that Pamban fishermen will meet with associations across the state to unite for a massive protest and gain the attention of the union government to address their demands. He pressed the union government to take action towards releasing the fishermen and the seized boats from Sri Lanka.
460 boats keep off the sea in Vedaranyam
Nagapattinam: Fishers of Arukatuthurai village in Vedaranyam began an indefinite strike on Sunday after four fishermen were assaulted by assailants allegedly from Sri Lanka near Point Calimere. About 60 mechanised boats and 400 motorised boats remained berthed on Sunday as the fisherfolk demanded action from the union and state governments to prevent frequent attacks on Indian fishers. According to sources, a group ventured into sea on a motorized boat of M Sivasankar on Saturday afternoon. The group included P Selvakrishnan (21), P Dhanasekaran (37) and K Rajagopal (54). They were fishing around 15 nautical miles east of Kodiyakarai around 6 pm when the four assailants assaulted the fishermen and seized their fishing gear, catch and equipment. ENS