The Navy alleges that the fishermen were trying to evade arrest. Later, they were taken to Sri Lanka’s Kankesanthurai Fishing Harbour. This is the second incident of fishermen being arrested in the past two days.

On Tuesday morning, the Sri Lankan Navy opened fire on Tamil Nadu fishermen while they were fishing in deep sea waters, injuring two fishermen and arresting 13 others. According to reports, the Sri Lankan Navy detained the 13 fishermen on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in their territorial waters. These fishermen, hailing from Karaikal, were apprehended near Neduntheevu. Additionally, their boats were also seized by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The Navy alleges that the fishermen were trying to evade arrest. Later, they were taken to Sri Lanka’s Kankesanthurai Fishing Harbour. This incident marks the second arrest of fishermen in two days. Earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy had arrested 34 fishermen and seized their boats, 32 of whom are residents of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin expressed serious concern over the arrests of the fishermen. On Monday, he wrote to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, urging him to take diplomatic measures to ensure their immediate release.

CM Stalin’s Letter to the External Affairs Minister

In his letter to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Stalin drew attention to yet another incident involving the seizure of boats by the Sri Lankan Navy. He mentioned that all the fishermen had departed from Rameswaram port in three mechanized boats for fishing and were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Dhanushkodi while fishing. He emphasized that this is a matter of grave concern and requires immediate action.

‘Time to Take Diplomatic Measures’

The Chief Minister stated, “The repeated detentions of our fishermen have created an atmosphere of concern and fear among the coastal communities. They perceive their future as uncertain and bleak. It is time to take strong diplomatic measures to prevent the Sri Lankan Navy from arresting our fishermen. Therefore, I appeal to you to take immediate action through diplomatic channels to stop the arrests of our fishermen. Urge the Sri Lankan authorities to release all the detained fishermen and their boats without delay.”