Rameswaram fishermen stage protest condemning attacks by Sri Lankan Navy

Fishermen in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram on Sunday staged a protest condemning the imprisonment and attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on Indian fishermen. Earlier on July 20, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested six Indian fishermen and a seized their boat after they had gone fishing from Rameswaram, claiming that they had crossed the border, which had caused consternation among Indian fishermen.

Following this, the Rameswaram fishermen have been on a strike for the past three days, condemning the serial attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on the Tamil Nadu fishermen, and their engagement in the violations of an agreement including the capture of the fishermen, seizure of the boat, and demanding the immediate release of the captured fishermen and their boat. Fishermen protested in front of the Rameswaram bus stand, condemning the Lankan Navy, which is engaged in violations against the Katchatheevu Agreement with an anarchic trend, and criticised the central and state governments for not opposing it.

The protest was led by All Fishermen's Union President NJ Bose. "We have organized this protest to draw the attention of central and state governments to intervene and solve the problem," NJ Bose said threatening that if further action was not taken, their "protest will take a different form".

Fishermen's Association President N. Devadas, District Fishermen's Association Secretary Jesuraj, Fishermen's Association President Eamerit, Fishermen's Association in-charge Sagayam and all the fishermen's association executives and a large number of fishermen took part in the Rameswaram protest and raised slogans emphasizing the demands. Earlier, 12 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's territorial waters.

Following that, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take appropriate action for the immediate release of 12 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O Panneerselvam also wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking his immediate intervention for the release of 12 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

On March 25 this year, the fifth meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode. The Joint Working Group discussed all relevant issues in detail including the concerns relating to fishermen and fishing boats which have been on the agenda of bilateral discussions between India and Sri Lanka for many years.

The Indian side expressed its readiness to work together with Sri Lanka for joint research to enhance the productivity of the Palk Bay fisheries. The meeting concluded on a positive note, with a commitment toward continued cooperation and dialogue to solve the fishermen-related issues and to hold the next meeting of the Joint Working Group as per schedule. (ANI)

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