Rameswaram: The Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended nine Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram and two powerboats off the coast of the state for allegedly fishing beyond the Indian border, according to the Rameswaram Fishermen Association. According to the fishermen's association, 535 boats went to sea for fishing on Monday.
The association said the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended the men while fishing near Thalaimannar in the Gulf of Mannar region. This came days after massive protests by fishermen in Rameswaram against frequent arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy and they demanded the immediate release of at least 74 fishermen arrested so far this year.
The protesters also demanded the release of 170 steamboats and country boats seized by the Lankan Navy from 2018 to 2024. The fisherfolk demanded appropriate compensation from the central government as well as the Tamil Nadu government for any damage to the barges and country boats.
On July 11, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister, saying that Sri Lanka had arrested 13 more fishermen from the state and sought swift action for their release. Their boats were also detained. "These detentions have severely impacted their livelihoods and caused immense distress to their families," the CM said.
Prior to this, Sri Lanka voiced its concern to India over the death of a naval sailor who was killed in an operation to seize an Indian trawler allegedly engaged in illegal fishing in the island nation's territorial waters. On June 25, off the coast of Point Pedro in the north, a senior sailor from the Navy Special Boat Squadron sustained critical injuries due to “the aggressive manoeuvres of the Indian trawler, resisting its seizure,” a statement issued by the Sri Lankan Navy said.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
(with inputs from agencies)
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