As many as 34 Indian fishermen including 32 from Tamil Nadu and two from Kerala have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy while they were fishing near Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Sunday and urged the Centre to take action for their immediate release.
These fishermen had ventured for fishing from the Rameswaram fishing harbour in three mechanised fishing boats and were arrested on January 25, along with their boats, Stalin told External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday.
“They were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy while they were fishing near Dhanushkodi on 25.01.2025. The frequent detentions of our fishermen has put the coastal communities into a perpetual sense of anxiety and apprehension, as their future is made uncertain and bleak. It is high time concrete diplomatic steps are taken to prevent our fishermen from being arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy,” Stalin said.
“I therefore request you to take necessary urgent action through diplomatic channels to prevent the arrests of our fishermen and to secure the immediate release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats from the Sri Lankan authorities,” he added.
Arrested fishermen handed over to officials
Both arrests came off the coast of the northeastern Mannar district in the Navy’s continued regular patrols in the Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing, the Navy said. The arrested fishermen have been handed over to the relevant officials for further action.
The Indian High Commission here earlier this week said some 41 Indian fishermen who had been similarly arrested previously for poaching in Sri Lankan waters were repatriated. On January 12, eight Indian fishermen were arrested and two fishing trawlers were seized.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters. In 2024, the island nation’s Navy arrested 529 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
(With PTI inputs)
