Chennai, Jan 24 (BPNS)
A group of three fishermen from Pushpavanam village in Nagapattinam district has complained that they were attacked indiscriminately by pirates in the sea during the wee hours of Monday.
The fishermen said that the pirates after attacking them robbed the fishing nets and catch of the day.
Fisheries department officials of Tamil Nadu who do not want to be quoted told IANS that the fishermen are admitted at Vedaranyam general hospital with internal injuries. Vedarnyam marine police have registered a case.
B. Balamurugan, fishermen association leader at Nagapattinam while speaking to IANS said, “ The pirates are most likely from Sri Lanka and with the Navy on the one side and pirates on the other side, life has become miserable for fishermen from Tamil Nadu. Government of Tamil Nadu and the Union Ministry for External affairs must immediately act and provide a safe fishing environment for the fishermen of the state. Our livelihood is at stake and we don’t know what to do”.
The elder fishermen of the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu has been warning the young fishermen to go out in groups in sea, as there could be more attack from pirates from Sri Lanka due to the poor economic condition in that country.
Fishermen in Tamil Nadu are already agitated over the Sri Lankan Navy arresting Indian fishermen- mostly from Tamil Nadu, for crossing the International Marine Boundary Line (IMBL) and confiscating the fishing vessels also. The Sri Lankan fisheries and aquatic department have already brought out an advertisement in the newspaper of the Island nation citing auction of the fishing boats seized from fishermen of Tamil Nadu. 105 boats, according to fisheries department of Sri Lanka.
Several fishermen organisations of Tamil Nadu have already lodged protests with the Government of India and the Tamil Nadu government to prevent the auction of the vessels.
It may be noted that five fishermen from Tamil Nadu have already lost their lives in 2021 in attack by Sri Lankan Navy and 55 fishermen are under judicial custody in the island nation.
