Chennai, July 10 (BPNS)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister,MK Stalin has written a letter to the Union External Affairs minister, S. Jaishankar to immediately intervention and release of 15 fishermen from the state who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their mechanized boats. The 15 fishermen from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on July 9,2023.
Stalin in the letter pointed out that the arrest and confiscation of mechanized fishing vessels have created fear among the fishermen community in the state.
It may be noted that many fishermen associations have written letters to the Union government and state government to take steps for the release of mechanized fishing boats that are in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishermen associations had in their earlier representations stated that the mechanized boats that were in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy was the main bread winner for the fishers in the coastal areas of the state.
Chief Minister in the letter said, “ Through diplomatic channels we can reach an amicable resolution that respects the rights and livelihoods of our fishermen even when maintaining friendly bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka.”
The Chief Minister in the letter also said that several hundreds of fishermen are dependent of fishing in deep seas for a livelihood and the arrest of these fishermen and confiscating their equipment was creating major difficulties in the coastal areas of the state.
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