Central government should release Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested in Sri Lanka: Stalin

The Chief Minister said that on November 3, the Sri Lankan Navy detained 31 fishermen from Nagapattinam and seized their three mechanized fishing boats. He added that in a separate incident, four fishermen from Ramanathapuram district were also arrested by the neighboring country and their country-made boats were confiscated. Fisheries Department sources said that the 31 fishermen had set sail from Akkaraipettai. They reported that the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly intercepted them for violating the maritime boundary and took them to Kankesanthurai port. “These repeated incidents have created a deep crisis among the fishing communities of Tamil Nadu, whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably linked to the sea,” Stalin said in a letter to Jaishankar. Each incident not only deprives families of their primary source of livelihood but also creates a deep sense of fear and insecurity among them.” According to the Chief Minister, till now a total of 114 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka, while 247 of their boats have been seized.