Fishermen released by Sri Lanka arrive in Tamil Nadu

The fishermen belonged to Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts.

August 04, 2017 11:22 am | Updated 11:22 am IST - Nagapattinam (TN)

A protest by fishermen, family members and supporters at Thangatchimadan near Rameswaram. File

A protest by fishermen, family members and supporters at Thangatchimadan near Rameswaram. File

Seventy-seven Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy in separate incidents this year on charges of poaching, arrived at the Karaikal port near here early today after their release by the island nation.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Handlooms Minister O S Manian and family members and relatives of the fishermen were among those who received them at the port, official sources said.

The fishermen belonged to Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts.

The Sri Lankan Government had on July 28 agreed to release the fishermen.

The Sri Lankan Navy handed over the fishermen to Indian authorities near the International Maritime Boundary Line yesterday.

Escorted by the Indian Coast Guard, the fishermen reached the Karaikal port early today, the sources said.

On March 8, Sri Lanka and India had agreed to release fishermen held in each other’s custody after a high-level discussion between the two sides in Colombo in a bid to defuse the tension following the killing of a 22-year-old fisherman belonging to Rameswaram allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The fisherman, Bridgo, was shot dead on March 6 while he was fishing in a mechanised boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.