Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday wrote yet another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging to secure the immediate release of the 66 fishermen who were in the custody of the Sri Lankan authorities and 81 fishing boats, including the 28 fishermen and two fishing boats apprehended on Tuesday.
In his letter, Mr. Panneerselvam stated that the “unfortunate incident” had taken place immediately after the Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday, calling upon the Centre to secure the immediate release of 38 Tamil Nadu fishermen, being held in Sri Lankan jails, and take necessary action for the release of 79 seized fishing boats.
On Saturday last, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary [K. Gnanadesikan] replied to Foreign Secretary [Sujatha Singh], stating that if the Sri Lankan authorities initiated the release of all the Tamil Nadu fishermen along with their fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody, the State government would also take necessary steps for the release of the Sri Lankan fishermen along with their fishing boats. “But, this latest episode of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats raises apprehensions about the true intention of the Sri Lankan government regarding the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats,” Mr. Panneerselvam said, requesting Mr. Modi’s “urgent intervention” for finding a long term solution to the issue that included the retrieval of Katchatheevu and sanction of the financial package of Rs.1,520 crore, as sought by the State government.
