The State government has suggested that the next round of talks between fishermen of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka be held on May 12 and 13 this year in Colombo.
The government’s decision was conveyed to Suchitra Durai, joint secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, through a letter on Monday.
S. Vijayakumar, secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department, in his letter addressed to Ms. Durai said the State delegation would be led by him, the director and the additional director of fisheries.
The same fishermen, who had been deputed for the talks held on January 27, will participate in the next round of talks now scheduled for May. The first round of talks was held in Chennai. There will also be a fishermen’s delegation from Puducherry for the talks. The Ministry of External Affairs official was asked to inform the Sri Lankan government of the new dates for the meeting.
The second round of talks was scheduled for the third week of March, but it was put off as more Tamil Nadu fishermen were then arrested by the Lankan Navy. So far, 98 fishermen of Tamil Nadu and 23 boats have been released by Sri Lankan authorities.
