CHENNAI: The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 12 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu near Paruthurai on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Tamil Nadu coastal police officials said that they were arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday.
This arrest comes shortly after a public statement by Sri Lanka’s new President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who expressed concerns about Indian fishermen allegedly depleting Sri Lankan marine resources by fishing illegally in the island nation’s waters.
The President has vowed to take firm action against such incursions.
Two days prior to this incident, the Sri Lankan Navy detained 23 Tamil fishermen from Rameswaram and seized three mechanised boats.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, had earlier written to the Union government on October 23, urging intervention to secure the release of Tamil fishermen.
CM Stalin reported that 128 Tamil fishermen were currently in judicial custody in Sri Lanka and 199 mechanised fishing boats had been impounded.
Anbumani Ramadoss, president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and a former Union Minister, has also called on the Union External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar to address these frequent mid-sea arrests of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
During a recent visit to Sri Lanka, EAM Jaishankar discussed this issue with the Sri Lankan government, advocating for measures to prevent further arrests and boat confiscations.
In response to these recurring arrests, fishermen association leaders across Tamil Nadu are organising large-scale protests.
Thajudhin, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Meenavar Peravai, stated that fishermen associations in coastal districts are mobilising against these frequent detentions.
“The livelihood of our fishermen is under threat, ” he noted.
“Thousands who depend on fishing and related activities are facing severe hardship, and a sense of fear has already taken hold of fishermen and their families about going to sea, ” he said and added that the new Sri Lankan government is moving to nationalise mechanised fishing boats seized from Tamil fishermen.
He warned that this action could devastate the fishing industry, as many fishermen had taken loans to purchase these costly boats, expecting to repay them through their fishing income.
In response, the fishermen’s association has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing for intervention to stop mid-sea arrests and the seizure of boats critical to Tamil fishermen’s livelihoods.
K.M. Periasamy, a fishermen leader from Ramanathapuram, highlighted the emotional and financial toll on fishermen’s families.
“Families are in deep distress due to regular arrests and attacks at sea by the Sri Lankan Navy, ” he said.
“We are planning to meet with Prime Minister Modi and Union External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to discuss these issues, ” he said.
He emphasised that Tamil fishermen go to sea to earn their livelihood, not for unlawful activities, and urged the Indian government to engage with Sri Lankan authorities at the highest level to resolve these issues.
Despite ongoing diplomatic discussions, arrests have persisted, prompting fishermen’s associations across Tamil Nadu to plan major protests.
It is worth noting that on August 1, 2023, an Indian fisherman from Tamil Nadu died after his fishing boat capsized following a collision with a Sri Lankan coastal patrol vessel.
The deceased was identified as Malaisamy (59), while another fisherman, Ramachandran (64), went missing.
Two other fishermen, M. Mookiah (54) and Muthu Muniandi (56), were detained but later handed over to Indian authorities.