The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has appealed to Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to take steps to release 35 Indian fishermen who have been languishing in prisons in Sri Lanka.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, M. Ilango, chairperson of the National Fishworkers Forum, said that Indian fishermen had been fishing in the Palk Strait area for centuries. Indian fishermen had only been engaged in subsistence fishing and arresting them on the ground of crossing the international maritime boundary was not justified, he said.
Mr. Ilango said that seven fishermen from Threspuram in Tuticorin were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on September 26 for fishing in the Gulf of Mannar region. Their boats were confiscated and the fishermen had been lodged in the Negambo prison in Sri Lanka.
He said that a total of 35 Indian fishermen were detained and 40 boats were still in the custody of the Sri Lankan government. Most of the fishermen had availed themselves of private loans at high rates of interest to purchase boats and other assets.
Their debt burden had further increased as the boats had not been released so far.
In his memorandum, Mr. Ilango has appealed to Ms. Swaraj to take immediate steps to release the 35 fishermen and their boats.
The NFF also demanded that the Centre arrange a meeting between the fishermen of the two countries, officials of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the North and East provinces in Sri Lanka and find a solution to the problems faced by them through dialogue.
