The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday held demonstrations in coastal districts to register its “protest and anguish” over the arrest of 112 fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy.
In Chennai, Kanimozhi, the DMK MP (Rajya Sabha), took part in the agitation along with North Chennai MP T.K.S. Elangovan and party functionaries, including J. Anbazhagan.
Ms. Kanimozhi deplored the frequent attacks on fishermen and said that the party had to intensify its agitation in the event of recurrence of the offensive against the fishermen.
When the DMK leaders and workers took out a march from near Nageswara Park in Luz and sought to hold a demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Alwarpet, they were arrested. They were released later. In Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam districts, the party functionaries held agitations, according to a release issued by the DMK.
K.V. Thangkabalu, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, sent telegrams to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, urging the Union government to take steps for immediate release of the fishermen and bring to an end the frequent “atrocious action” of the Sri Lankan authorities.
G. Ramakrishnan, State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), in a statement, called upon the Union and the State governments to secure the release of the fishermen. The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi condemned the Sri Lankan authorities for the arrest.
