Protests will continue till SL releases 55 TN men: Fishers
MADURAI: Condemning the arrest of 55 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of trespassing into territorial waters of Sri Lanka, scores of fellow fishermen lodged protest at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district on Monday.
These ill-fated fishermen aboard eight mechanised boats were apprehended by the naval personnel on Sunday, P Jesuraja, president, All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association, Ramanathapuram district said and added that the fishermen and boat owners suspended fishing indefinitely until the fishermen were released.
“It’s become a never ending chronic issue for Rameswaram fishermen, who often face detention by the Lankan navy at high seas,” he said. “Unlike other coastal provinces, geographically the coastal islands, including Rameswaram and Pamban in Ramanathapuram district, sit in a very peculiar spot just 12 nautical miles away from Sri Lankan maritime boundary. Only when the island’s fishing fleet sailed off three nautical miles non shore-fishing zone and another five nautical mile rock sea surface, shrimps and other high valued species cuttlefish and crabs could be netted close to the IMBL,” he said.
Since the fishing grounds lay far off the beaten track, the island fishermen had no alternative to earn their livelihoods by fishing nearby the IMBL. Apart from being arrested, the fishermen were also destined to face a constant deluge of attacks by the Lankan Navy. The only long term solution to this problem is to retrieve Katchatheevu and restore traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen. If the Lankan authorities did not release Tamil Nadu fishermen by December 31, the fishermen would stage a rail roko at Rameswaram on January 1, 2022, Jesuraja warned.
He also sought steps to provide adequate compensation for fishers as nearly 150 boats of Tamil Nadu were still being detained in Sri Lanka.