Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighting the plight of 15 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who had been detained by the Iranian Coast Guard for over two months, and seeking steps to secure their release.
A total of 15 fishermen from Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, employed in Dubai, were fishing when they “inadvertently strayed” into the Iranian waters on October 22 last.
After their arrest by the Iranian Coast Guard, they have been kept in Kish Island for the past two months. An Iranian court had reportedly imposed a fine on them which had to be paid by their local sponsors in Dubai.
The Chief Minister while pointing out that one of the fishermen was a diabetic and another a heart patient contended that they needed medical attention.
“The prolonged incarceration of these poor fishermen who went abroad for earning their livelihood, would severely affect their families in India,” Mr. Palaniswami noted and requested the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter.
“I request your personal intervention by instructing the Ambassadors of India in Tehran and United Arab Emirates to provide necessary medical attention and take effective legal steps to secure their immediate release,” the Chief Minister added.
