Four of the five Rameswaram fishermen who faced death sentence and were released recently – R. Wilson, K. Prasad, J. Lanklet and P. Emerson – were here, on Sunday, to thank the founder of Sneham Trust, Swamy Sunildas, for the efforts he took to bring them back to India.
It is learnt that the other fisherman could not be here, as he was unwell.
Thanking the Central and State Governments and the Sri Lanka Government for their timely efforts to release them, they claimed that the efforts of Mr. Sunildas were also instrumental in their release. The fishermen and their relatives told newsmen at Pollachi that they got indications of their release a few days after Mr. Sunildas promised the families speedy release of the five – during his stay in Rameswaram for close to three weeks after the death sentence was given.
Mr. Sunildas told The Hindu that he participated in the World Buddha Conference organised in Sri Lanka, every year from 2011 and had discussed the fishermen issue also with Mahinda Rajapaksha, the Sri Lankan President, during these visits.
He claimed that on October 20, 2014, a top government delegation from that country held talks with representatives of fishermen of Rameswaram, at his ashram at Muthalamada, Palakkad, Kerala, following which efforts were taken to release fishermen who were lodged in the prison in Sri Lanka.
“It was followed by the release of the five fishermen,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the boats of the Tamil fishermen seized in Sri Lanka would also be released soon.
After spending Saturday at the ashram at Muthalamada, the fishermen and their families came to a temple at Mahalingapuram in Pollachi with Mr. Sunildas, where a special prayer was offered, before they returned to Rameswaram.
