The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 27 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and impounded five of their mechanised boats on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) while they were reportedly fishing along the Palk Bay on October 14.
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The fishermen belong to Rameswaram, Thangachimadam and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
According to information reaching here, Fisheries Department officials said that over 3,000 fishermen ventured into the sea in the early hours of October 14 on about 650 boats. Around 6 p.m., 27 fishermen, who were fishing near Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel and taken to the Kankesanthurai Navy Camp.
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Indefinite strike
Fishermen in the coastal villages were shocked to hear about the arrest and have appealed to the Union and State governments to help them.
Fishermen associations in the coastal district began an indefinite strike on Sunday and stayed off the sea condemning the act of the Sri Lankan Navy personnel.
A meeting held by the fishermen near Rameswaram fishing jetty on October 15, 2023 | Photo Credit: L. Balachandar
The fishermen leaders said they would also stage a demonstration at the Pamban Road Bridge on October 18.
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At an urgently convened meeting, the fishermen associations passed five resolutions, which included immediate release of the fishermen and their boats. The meeting urged the Union government to take up the issue with Sri Lanka.
The fishermen resolved to intensify the agitation by organising a massive demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai.
Four missing, say fishermen
In another development, fishermen from Thangachimadam said four fishermen, who went fishing in a fibre boat on October 13, were missing. They should have returned to the shore on October 14. With no news from them, their families are in a state of shock, they said. “We have informed the officials here about the missing fishermen,” a family member said.