Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal intervention for securing release of 16 Tamil fishermen and their boats.
“I request you to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities urgently and secure the immediate release of the 16 fishermen and 26 fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody at the earliest,” she said in a letter to the Prime Minister.
“There is high expectation in Tamil Nadu that your government would act decisively on this very sensitive issue, which involves the livelihood of lakhs of poor fishermen households in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu,” she added.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said the fishermen from Nagapattinam, Kottaipattinam and Mandapam were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy in the early hours of August 1 and were in Kankesanthurai, Sri Lanka.
“The right to fish in the traditional waters of Palk Bay, which has been historically enjoyed for several centuries by fishermen in Tamil Nadu, is now being continuously infringed upon by the Sri Lankan Navy,” she alleged.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said it had been widely accepted that fish and traditional fishermen knew no boundaries and the IMBL itself is a matter sub judice in the Supreme Court of India.
Katchatheevu issue
“I have, in my personal capacity, challenged the unconstitutional ceding of Katchatheevu under the 1974 and 1976 Agreements and the Government of Tamil Nadu has also impleaded itself in the case,” she said
She also urged the Prime Minister to initiate an appropriate set of actions that would bring about a permanent solution to this sensitive issue that plagues the livelihood of thousands of Tamil Nadu fishermen who fish in their traditional fishing grounds.
“Till a comprehensive solution to this vexatious issue is found, I request you to appropriately convey to the Sri Lankan authorities to instruct the Sri Lankan Navy to refrain from apprehending our fishermen and impounding their fishing boats,” she said.
She pointed out that the Sri Lanka’s strategy of not releasing the apprehended boats and fishing gear even after releasing the fishermen had severely impaired the only means of livelihood of several fishermen families.
“This has caused great frustration amongst the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. Hence, I urge you again to take up this issue with the Sri Lankan authorities at the highest level,” she said.
Fishermen from Nagapattinam, Kottaipattinam and Mandapam were apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy on August 1
