Chennai: Nineteen fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were caught by the Sri Lankan Navy on January 23, have been brought back from the island nation and are on their way to Chennai.
In an official post on Twitter, the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka confirmed the return of the 19 fishermen, “Returning home! 19 Indian fishermen have been brought back from Sri Lanka and are now on their way to Chennai from Colombo.
There have been repeated incidents of arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. On 5 February, with an aim to draw attention to their long-standing grievances, fishermen of Rameshwaram held a symbolic strike and outlined a number of demands to address the challenges faced by them.
Main details of the incident
The fishermen also announced to return their voter ID cards to the central government and boycott the elections if their demands are not met.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed concern about the increase in attacks on members of the state's fishing community in the area and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Stalin said, “I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the alarming increase in incidents of capture of Tamil fishermen and their boats by Sri Lankan authorities. This issue seriously impacts the livelihood rights of these fishermen, as the communities have used these fishing waters for generations.
CM Stalin urged PM Modi to renew the Joint Action Group to resolve fishermen's issues. He also highlighted the 'significant increase' in the number of fishermen being arrested.