Demanding effective diplomatic efforts to prevent further arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities, Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to secure the release of all the 110 fishermen who were still in custody along with their boats at the earliest. In a letter to Jaishankar on Tuesday, Stalin said, ‘I would like to draw your attention to the tenth incident of apprehension in less than three months of this year 2025 by the Sri Lankan Navy on 18.03.2025.
Three Tamil Nadu fishermen who ventured for fishing from the Rameswaram fishing harbour on Monday were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday along with their mechanised fishing boat bearing registration number IND TN-10-MM-496, he said. ‘In spite of my repeated requests for stronger diplomatic efforts to prevent the arrests of our fishermen in their traditional fishing waters, the number of such unfortunate incidents are rising continuously without any respite,’ he said. Stalin told Jaishankar the fishermen were highly dependent on fishing for their livelihood and the frequent apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy had pushed their families to the brink of poverty.