As if the problems and threats they face from Sri Lankan Navy are not enough, fishermen from Tamilnadu have now suffered at the hands of their counterparts in Kerala. According to reports, forty fishermen from TN were ‘detained’ by a group of country boat fishers from Kerala for fishing off their State coast, allegedly in violation of rules. The fishermen from Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts were reportedly fishing close to the coast in their mechanised boats off Kathangode in Kerala when the country boat fishermen intercepted and forced them to ‘surrender’ late Sunday night.
While it is said the Kerala fishermen took the 40 to Kathangode and handed them over to the local fisheries department officials, it is also being claimed that the Kerala counterparts were demanding Rs 3 lakh per boat for releasing them. This is disturbing since both groups of fishermen belong to the same country and there cannot be any borders between them.
For centuries, Tamils and Malayalees are sharing a healthy relationship barring very few issues like Mullaiperiyar. Recently, when tragedy struck that State in the form of floods, the hands of Tamils were the first to reach out to them. Also, devotees from Tamilnadu offered unconditional support to Malayalee Hindus when they opposed the entry of women in the age of 10-50 to the Sabarimala shrine. Many rallies were conducted in Chennai and other parts of TN for the cause. Hence, it is time for the top officials of both the States to find an amicable solution to the fishermen issue and to ensure peace at the earliest.