Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar, urging him to take steps for the release of 45 fishermen and 138 fishing boats from Sri Lanka.
On December 13, six more Indian fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy, in the third such incident in a week, the CM stated in his letter to the EAM.
As many as six Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were fishing in the international waters, were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their trawler, near the Kankesanthurai area in the Emerald Isle on Wednesday.
According to the Sri Lankan Navy, the fishermen were involved in ‘illegal poaching’ and were detained off the Kovilan Lighthouse in Kareinagar in a special operation.
“The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices by foreign fishing trawlers, taking into account the consequences of these practices on the livelihood of local fishermen and marine resources of the country,” read an official release by the Lankan navy.
The six fishermen belonged to the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu.
Of the six, five fishermen were identified as Naresh (27), Anandababu (25), Ajay (24), Nandakumar (28) and Ajith (26).
However, the sixth person has still not been identified.
Earlier, 25 Indian fishermen, who were fishing in international waters, were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their two trawlers, off Point Pedro town in Sri Lanka on December 9
The 25 fishermen belonged to the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu and the Karaikal district of Puducherry.
The relatives of the fishermen expressed their concern about the incident and requested both central and state governments to rescue them, along with their two lifeboats.
Last month, 27 Indian fishermen held earlier were released by the Lankan authorities. They returned to the Chennai airport on separate days in sets of 12 and 15.
Earlier, in October, a total of 64 fishermen from Rameshwaram and Mandapam in Tamil Nadu were arrested in three separate batches by the Sri Lankan navy, for alleged cross-border fishing. They were held along with their boats and fishing nets.
Both the Tamil Nadu government and the Centre had expressed concern over the arrest of the fishermen. (ANI)
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