As many as 16 fishermen of Tamil Nadu, who were fishing near the Palk Strait, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday.
According to the officials, the arrested fishermen were taken by the Lankan Naval personnel to hand them over to authorities in their country. Their two boats have also been seized and taken away, they added.
PMK founder leader S Ramadoss on his Twitter handle condemned the fishermen's arrest. Lanka continuously arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen and seizing their boats leads to loss of livelihoods. "If a single boat is confiscated, a minimum of 20 families, comprising about 100 members of such families are affected."
Ramadoss urged the Central government to find a permanent solution to the decades-long issue. He requested the State and Central governments to get fishermen and their seized boats released immediately.
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief writes EAM Jaishankar
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the early repatriation of 16 fishermen from Pudhukottai and Nagapattinam who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
(With inputs from agencies)
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