Sri Lanka Arrests 27 Indian Fishermen For Allegedly Fishing In Its Waters
Sri Lankan navy additionally seized 5 of their boats
Chennai:
The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested 27 Indian fishermen and seized 5 of their boats for allegedly trespassing into their waters. The fishermen, residents of Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram, had been fishing in Sri Lankan waters off Mannar and close to the Delft and Kachchativu Islands in Jaffna.
Fishermen in Ramanathapuram have now declared an indefinite strike, successfully halting the operation of round 7,000 fishermen. Protesting fishermen additionally plan to stage an indication on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgency of their calls for.
In the meantime, Union Minister of State for Fisheries L Murugan assured a diplomatic resolution to the disaster and appealed to the fishermen to finish their strike. He additionally requested the fishermen to acknowledge the direct impression the strike would have on the lives of roughly 15,000 individuals within the area.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin additionally urged Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday to take diplomatic steps to safe the discharge of the Indian fishermen.
He stated the repeated cases of arrest and seizure “have struck worry into the hearts of fishing communities alongside our shoreline”.
“They result in not solely the lack of revenue for the fishermen and their households but in addition jeopardize the meals safety of numerous people who rely upon their catch,” he added.
Greater than 600 Indian fishermen have been killed by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly trespassing over the previous few many years. Although killing has virtually stopped over the previous few years, Sri Lanka has stopped returning seized boats, crippling the livelihood of fishermen.
The Sri Lanka Navy has seized 22 boats and arrested 137 Indian fishermen thus far in 2023.
It’s stated that the fishermen enterprise into the Lankan waters attributable to a smaller variety of fish within the Indian waters.
Tamil Nadu has mooted two options to the problem. One is to retrieve the Katchatheevu island which India gifted to Sri Lanka within the 70s as they are saying this may improve the catchment space for fishermen and alter the worldwide boundary line as nicely.
The state has additionally recommended the concept of a long-term lease settlement with Sri Lanka to pave the way in which for authorized fishing rights for Indian fishermen.
