In a recent statement, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss criticized Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin over the handling of the arrest of Tamil fishermen. Ramadoss alleged that the Chief Minister’s commitment to resolving the issue was insufficient and that he was merely altering the number of arrested fishermen in official communications.According to a press release issued by Ramadoss, Tamil fishermen from Jegathapattinam in Pudukkottai district, who were fishing in the Bay of Bengal, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy and detained in Kangesanthurai prison. The continuous arrests of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy in traditional fishing zones is deemed highly condemnable.
Since the end of the fishing ban on June 15, more than 200 Tamil fishermen have been arrested in the past three months while fishing in the Bay of Bengal. Of these, only a third have been released, leaving 134 Tamil fishermen still languishing in Sri Lankan prisons as of the latest update. Their families are suffering without their primary breadwinners, and 187 fishing boats belonging to Tamil fishermen have been confiscated and are currently docked in Sri Lankan ports.