DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Monday alleged that both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu Government had not paid adequate attention to the need for preventing attacks on Tamil fishermen, who were being targeted regularly by the Sri Lankan Navy.
“It is my charge that both the Centre and the State Government have failed to protect their interest,” he told reporters here.
Later, in a statement, he condemned the attack on Vedaranyam fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on August 18, in which nine fishermen were injured.
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Mr. Karunanidhi said that whenever there was an attack on fishermen, the State Government would make a complaint to the Centre and officials would take it up with the Sri Lankan Government just to convince the people of Tamil Nadu. “But, the attacks continue.”
He leader said between 1991 and 2011 there were 167 attacks on Tamil fishermen in which 85 persons were killed and 180 injured. Moreover, 146 boats were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy between 2006 and 2011 and 746 fishermen arrested on suspicion.
Recalling the resolution adopted at the Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation conference here on August 12, urging the Centre to get back Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974, and set up a naval base there to put an end to the attacks on fishermen, Mr. Karunanidhi said that the fishermen were targeted within a week of the resolution being adopted. “The Union government should find a permanent solution to prevent such attacks.”
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He said that the organisers of TESO had taken steps to send the resolution adopted in the conference to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the United Nations.
Earlier, when asked about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s letter to the Centre seeking allocation of the entire quantum of electricity to be produced by the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) to Tamil Nadu, he said it would be good if Tamil Nadu got the entire power.