Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has shot off another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemning the Sri lankan Navy for the arrest of four more Tamil Nadu fishermen late Saturday. She had sent a letter on Saturday blaming the island nation for violating the fishing rights of the fishermen from the State and had demanded the annulment of the International Maritime Boundary line (IMBl) at Palk Bay, which she described is the root cause of all the problems faced by the fishermen.
Jayalalithaa pointed out in her letter on Tuesday, excerpts of which were released to the media, that the "unconstitutional ceding" of Katchatheevu, a small islet between the two countries, by the 1974 and 1976 agreements was central to the problem. She also, though indirectly, blamed the Centre for not taking enough initiative to put an end to the continuous attacks on the Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri lankan Navy.
"I have been requesting the Government of India to mount a strong diplomatic initiative to uphold the rights and interests of our Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu. In spite of my repeated appeals to devise a permanent solution to this sensitive livelihood issue, the situation at sea remains precarious with the continued offensive acts of the Sri lankan Navy," said Jayaalithaa in her letter.
Asking the Prime Minister for his direct intervention to secure the release of the 15 fishermen and 91 fishing boats seized by the Sri lankan Navy, Jayalalitaa requested him to "urgently direct the Ministry of External Affairs to use diplomatic channels" to ensure that the Tamil Nadu fishermen are allowed to peacefully pursue their livelihood in their traditional fishing waters.
She also blamed the Sri lankan Government for its strategy of not releasing the fishing boats and said this was aggravating the difficulties of the fishermen." At present, there are 90 fishing boats impounded, which are undergoing severe deterioration, being insecurely berthed in Sri lanka," she said.