NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, DEC 10
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.
Meanwhile, Telangana Governor and Pudhcherry Lt Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan writes an urgent letter to External Affairs Minister take steps to release the fishermen on Sunday.
In her ‘X’ (formerly twitter) handle, she expressed confidence that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will take necessary action to release the arrested fishermen as early as possible.
இலங்கை கடற்படையினரால், நேற்று (09-12-2023) சிறை பிடிக்கப்பட்ட காரைக்கால் மற்றும் தமிழக மீனவர்களை உடனடியாக விடுவிக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்குமாறு மாண்புமிகு மத்திய வெளியுறவுத்துறை அமைச்சர் திரு.ஜெய்சங்கர் அவர்களுக்கு அவசர கடிதம் எழுதியுள்ளேன். அதில்,
“இந்த கடிதத்தை மிகுந்த… pic.twitter.com/pT3v8LTf47— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@DrTamilisai4BJP) December 10, 2023
According to the Sri Lankan Navy, the fishermen were allegedly involved in ‘illegal poaching’ and were detained after a special operation on Saturday night.
“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,” the navy stated in an official press release.
#WATCH | 25 Indian fishermen who were fishing in India-Sri Lanka international waters were today detained by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishermen are residents of Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam and Karaikal. Their boats have also been taken into custody. pic.twitter.com/Q5ht7HPrl1
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2023
The 25 fishermen belonged to Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district in Puducherry.
The apprehended fishermen were brought to the Kankasanthurai harbour and they will be handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for further legal action.
The relatives of the fishermen have expressed their concern about the incident and have requested both central and state governments to rescue them and their two lifeboats.
Last month, 27 Indian fishermen were released by the Sri Lankan authorities. They returned to the Chennai airport on separate days in sets of 12 and 15.
