Harassment and frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen were “abrogation of their traditional fishing rights in their traditional fishing areas”, she said.
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The arrested fishermen and the fish catch along with the steel-hulled trawler were brought to Kankasanthurai and handed over to the officials of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Jaffna) for onward action, the Navy said.
In the meantime, the National Fish workers Forum (NFF) in India had earlier appealed to Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to take steps to release 35 Indian fishermen who have been languishing in prisons in Sri Lanka.
“Unfortunately, such incidents of apprehension of Tamil Nadu fishermen show no signs of abating and continue with painful regularity. Such incidents inflict huge misery and hardship on the fishermen community”, she added.
“In the present circumstances, I have no doubt that you would agree that the fishermen issue needs to be placed at the top of the agenda in any interaction with Sri Lanka”, Jayalalithaa told Modi.
This is an unacceptable situation which has to be remedied through a set of comprehensive measures including securing the urgent release of the fishermen, she said. The Lankan navy personnel came in 10 patrol boats and sea bikes, threatened the fishermen and arrested 24 of them besides chasing away others at gun point, fishermen organisation leaders S Emerite and Sagayaraj said.
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She stressed that the issue needed the intervention at the highest political level, not just the diplomatic level. “I request the government to release my husband immediately as his arrest has dealt a severe blow to our family”, she said. We anticipate that concrete motion on the long run answer to this problem will even be initiated forthwith,”she additional stated within the letter”.
