In a fresh incident, 21 fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel on March 16 night and two of their fishing trawlers were impounded.
According to reports reaching in Rameswaram, the Sri Lankan Navy, which was on a surveillance duty, held the fishermen near Needuntheevu islet and subsequently taken to the Kankesanthurai port for interrogation.
The Fisheries Department officials in Rameswaram said that 484 tokens were issued on March 16 morning at the jetty here and that over 3,000 fishermen had ventured into the Palk Bay for fishing.
The 21 fishermen — 12 in one boat and nine in the second trawler — were held on charges of poaching and having crossed the IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line).
The officials said that the arrested fishermen were likely to be produced before a court in Sri Lanka and sent in to judicial custody.
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Fisherfolks shocked
As the news spread, fisherfolks in the colonies in Rameswaram, Thangachimadam and Mandapam were shocked to learn about the fresh incident.
“The arrest has only showed the lackadaisical attitude of the governments here. They have not redressed our genuine grievances even after several appeals. Only last month, our leaders here met the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai and our External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi and submitted memorandum. But, nothing has happened to protect us and our livelihood continued to be in stake,” the fishermen said.
Speaking to The Hindu, fishermen leader P. Jesu Raja said that the arrest of 21 fishermen had come within a few hours of the announcement of elections to the Lok Sabha. “Now, we don’t know where to go and plead. Our plight is so bad that we want to give up fishing in Palk Bay.” he said, adding “We have serious doubts about the promises made to us by the political leaders.”
“The Sri Lankan courts had already awarded six months, one year and two year jail terms to five of our fishermen. Now, the authorities have detained 21 fishermen and two of their trawlers. With the model code of conduct in effect, neither the officials nor the politicians would not take up our case. We are in a helpless situation,” he added.
From the beginning of this year, the Sri Lankan authorities have arrested over 100 fishermen and impounded 14 trawlers. While the arrested fishermen were released with a warning and that any repeat offence may lead to jail term. However, the impounded trawlers have not been released yet. Already, over 145 trawlers impounded since 2018 were lying in the island nation’s ports, Mr. Jesu Raja said.
