Rameshwaram: The Sri Lankan Navy has recently arrested eight fishermen from Tamil Nadu, alleging that they were fishing across the borders.
The fishermen were detained and their fishing vessel was taken to the Mannar Naval Camp.
The arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy has indeed stirred concern among the fishing communities.
A few days ago, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on the fishermen arrest issue. He wrote, ‘”I have repeatedly highlighted that such incidents are occurring at an alarming frequency. In 2024 alone, 324 fishermen and 44 boats were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishing community in Tamil Nadu continues to face immense hardships due to the recurrent arrests, which severely affect their means of subsistence,” he said.
Further, in the past two weeks, there have been a couple of instances of attacks on fishermen at sea by unidentified persons from Sri Lanka, and this issue needs to be addressed immediately, the CM added.
“Therefore, I urge you to initiate immediate and concrete diplomatic efforts to secure the expeditious release of all our fishermen and their fishing boats,’ Stalin told Jaishankar.