22 fishermen from Tamil Nadu arrested by Sri Lankan Navy, their boats seized

As many as 22 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday evening for crossing the maritime border.

The fishermen’s association of Tharuvaikulam said the fishermen were arrested when they were fishing in the deep waters between India and Sri Lanka, and that two of their mechanised boats were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The fishing boats were owned by R Antony Maharaja and J Antony Then Danila. On July 21, a batch of 12 fishermen went on a multi-day deep sea stay fishing, followed by another batch of 10 fishermen on July 23.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai took cognisance of the matter and has taken representatives of the fishermen community along with him to meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi to discuss the continuous attacks they face from the Sri Lankan Navy.

After the meeting, Jaishankar said that necessary measures would be taken to address the matter.

“We will look at this to find some amicable solution. This should not be a political problem. It’s a matter of their livelihood. Our Government and High Commission have always worked for their welfare. Recently, 20 fishermen were released,” the External Affairs Minister added.

Jaishankar assured a meeting with the fishermen’s association and a joint working group soon.

Last weekend, 21 fishermen – who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy – were repatriated to India, with the Indian High Commission in Colombo securing the same in cooperation with the Indian Consulate in Jaffna and Sri Lankan authorities.

Meanwhile, last week an Indian fisherman was killed and another went missing after a collision between a Sri Lankan naval vessel and an Indian fishing boat allegedly poaching in the neighbouring country’s territorial waters.

The incident led to the Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner being summoned to the External Affairs Ministry and a strong protest over the same.

Last month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Jaishankar, urging efforts to secure the expeditious release of 87 fishermen from the state detained in Sri Lanka.