DMK Member of Parliament A.K. Vijayan on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court for a direction to the authorities concerned to take necessary diplomatic steps to secure the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen languishing in Sri Lankan jails.
In a writ petition filed through advocate Joseph Aristotle, the petitioner, representing Nagapattinam constituency, also sought a direction to the Central government to protect the interests of the Indian fishermen and to protect them from being killed, and find a permanent solution to the problem thereby creating a conducive atmosphere for them to fish in Indian waters/traditional area without fear.
“According to official data, more than 400 Tamil Nadu fishermen have been killed after 1983, including as many as 118 between 1991 and 2008,” Mr. Vijayan said.
He and his party had raised the issue in Parliament and he had written several letters to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, requesting him to take action against the continuing atrocities by the Sri Lankan Navy on the Indian Fishermen but nothing was done. On August 19, 2013, more than 50,000 people participated in a demonstration to condemn the atrocities by Sri Lankan Navy, he said.
