Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday arrested 16 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were fishing near the Palk Strait.
According to officials, the arrested fishermen were taken by the Sri Lankan Navy for handing them over to the authorities in their country. He added that two of their boats have also been seized and taken away.
PMK’s founding leader S Ramadoss condemned the arrest of the fishermen on his Twitter handle. Tamil Nadu fishermen in Lanka suffer loss of livelihood due to frequent arrests and confiscation of their boats. “If even one boat is seized, at least 20 families with about 100 members from such families are affected.”
Ramadoss urged the central government to find a permanent solution to the decades-old issue. He urged the State and Central Government to immediately release the fishermen and their seized boats.
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief writes to EAM Jaishankar
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding the early return of 16 fishermen from Pudukottai and Nagapattinam, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
(with inputs from agencies)
Also read: Sri Lankan Navy arrests 15 Indian fishermen, including a minor; seized 2 boats