Over 650 mechanised fishing boats from Rameswaram stayed away from venturing into the sea on Monday as a mark of protest against Sri Lankan Navy that arrested 15 fishermen from the island on Sunday.
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The fishermen who had sailed from Rameswaram in two boats on Friday were arrested near Neduntheevu and were taken to Kankesanthurai naval base.
The strike was to draw the attention of the Centre and the State on the unabated arrests of Rameswaram fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy, said president of All Mechanised Boats Association, P. Sesuraja.
The strike has affected the livelihood of around 25,000 fishermen of Rameswaram and resulted in huge economic loss to them. The fishermen have been demanding to restore the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen around Katchatheevu. They complain that over 100 mechanised boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen which were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy since 2018 have not been released..