TN govt urges MEA to help stranded Indian fishermen in Iran

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday urged the Centre to direct the Indian embassy in Iran to provide food and other basic necessities to around 1,000 fishermen, including 650 from the state, stranded there in view of coronavirus threat and ensure their early return. Chief Minister K Palaniswami, in a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, said the fishermen had been stranded in different parts of Iran since February and the state government had been receiving repeated requests from them and their families to provide them basic needs.

Recalling that he had already taken up the matter with Jaishankar in February, he said around 1,000 fishermen from India, including 650 from Tamil Nadu, were stranded in Chiruyeh, Kish, Lavan, Bandar-eMogham, Asaluyeh and other places in Iran. "Government of Tamil Nadu is receiving repeated requests from the stranded fishermen and their families to provide food, water and other basic needs and it is also reported to me that they are suffering in foreign soil without adequate food and other basic needs," he said in the letter.

"Hence, I request your good office to direct the Embassy of India in Iran again to arrange food, water and other basic needs immediately to the stranded fishermen and also to arrange for their early return to India," the chief minister added..