Even as it sought protection for fishermen from Tamil Nadu and reiterated the need to restore their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay, the Tamil Nadu government in its letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought a workable diplomatic arrangement with Sri Lanka so that fishermen were not harassed by its Navy.
“Tamil Nadu’s fishermen appear to have been left at the total mercy of the Sri Lankan Navy, which picks them up at random, incarcerates them for months together and fails to return their boats for years together despite commitments made in the talks, which take place from time to time,” Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami contended in his letter to the Prime Minister, while referring to a recent arrest of 32 fishermen by the Lankan Navy. A copy of the letter was released to the media on Sunday.
Citing the examples at the international level, including in South-East Asia, where countries with close maritime boundaries arrived at workable diplomatic arrangements so that both sides continued to fish without harassment and interference, Mr. Palaniswami stated, “There is no reason why a similar arrangement cannot be put in place between India and Sri Lanka.”
Deep sea fishing
Recalling the State’s repeated requests to the Centre to sanction the comprehensive project for conversion of mechanised trawlers to deep sea long liners and creation of other infrastructure, he said the first batch of fishermen had been trained in deep sea long liner fishing operations on the advice of the Centre. “But despite our repeated requests, neither the package of ₹1,650 crore has been approved by the Government of India nor does there seem to be adequate pressure built up on Sri Lanka to desist from day-to-day harassment and arrest of our fishermen as they go about peaceably pursuing their traditional occupation of fishing in the waters in which they have enjoyed the customary rights to fish for several centuries,” the Chief Minister said. In three incidents on March 4 and 5, a total of 32 fishermen and 5 fishing boats from Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
