Sunday's arrest of five more fishermen from Rameshwaram by the Sri lankan Navy has upset Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jyalalithaa, who wrote a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out that “the situation at sea remained precarious in spite of her letters to the Government of India and the offensive actions of the Sri lankan Navy were on the rise”.
"The repeated instances of abduction and apprehension of fishermen belonging to the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu by the Sri lankan Navy, while engaged in earning their livelihood by fishing in their traditional fishing waters is a matter of grave concern. Despite my repeated appeals to the Government of India to ensure that the traditional fishing rights of the Tamil Nadu fishermen are upheld through a permanent solution to this sensitive livelihood issue, the situation at sea remains precarious with the unabated offensive actions of the Sri lankan Navy," Jayalalithaa said in her letter to the Prime Minister, excerpts of which were released to the media on Monday.
Jayalalithaa warned that the Sri lankan strategy of not releasing the fishing boats was further aggravating the situation. "At present 95 impounded fishing boats remain insecurely berthed in Sri lanka and are sustaining severe damages," the CM pointed out in her letter.
The Chief Minister sought the immediate intervention of the Prime Minister to secure the release of 34 fishermen and 95 fishing boats currently in Sri lankan custody including the five fishermen and their mechanised boat apprehended on early Sunday. Jayalalithaa also requested the Prime Minister to initiate a calibrated set of actions to ensure that the Tamil Nadu fishermen are allowed to pursue their livelihood with freedom in their traditional waters.