Strongly condemning the “unprovoked” firing in the Palk Bay, allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, in which a 21-year old fisherman died late on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to summon the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India and convey the strong feelings of the Central and State governments against the incident.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, which was released to media on Tuesday, Mr. Palaniswami said that the non-adherence to earlier agreements on the issue “should be conveyed in no uncertain terms” to the High Commissioner. The Chief Minister referred to the incident as “cold blooded, inhuman, horrific and illegal barbaric killing of a young Indian fisherman from Tamil Nadu.”
“I also urge the Government of India to ensure that the safety and security of its citizens from Tamil Nadu, who pursue their humble avocation of earning a livelihood by fishing in their traditional waters of the Palk Bay is fully protected,” he said
Calling for an immediate and firm and decisive action, the Chief Minister, in the strongly worded letter, said the incident marked a “new low in the inhuman and cruel manner” in which the Sri Lankan Navy was dealing with a sensitive livelihood issue. The Sri Lankan Navy was “resorting to tactics involving greater cruelty and unnecessary use of force in an attempt to scare away our fishermen from exercising their traditional rights,” he said.
“In no circumstances can such unprovoked violence from the Sri Lankan side be tolerated. It is the duty of the Government of India and the government of Tamil Nadu to protect the interests and above all the life and liberty of our citizens,” he contended. The actions by the Sri Lankan side “completely belied all the diplomatic efforts” that were undertaken so far.
Mr. Palaniswami urged the Prime Minister to intervene personally in the issue and use all means to curb the “unacceptable aggressive actions” of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay.
According to him, a fleet of four Sri Lankan naval vessels “surrounded the fishing boat and opened fire on the unarmed fishermen, when five fishermen on board a mechanised fishing boat were fishing “in their traditional waters” of the Palk Bay at about 9.30 p.m. on Monday. Of the two fishermen, who received bullet injuries, one, identified as Bristo, died while being brought to the shore, while Saran has been admitted to the Government Hospital in Ramanathapuram district.
