22 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by SL; 4 boats seized

Ramanathapuram: The Sri Lankan navy apprehended 22 fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam and seized four mechanised boats in two separate incidents between Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday.Police said more than 2,500 fishermen set sail from the Rameswaram fishing jetty in 500 boats on Wednesday morning. While they were reportedly fished near Neduntheevu, the Sri Lankan navy intercepted them.Two boats, belonging to Alex Daniel and Anthony Kirumiraj, were seized, and 12 fishermen on board were taken to the Kankesanthurai naval camp.They were remanded in judicial custody until March 4. They face charges of allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and using banned fishing nets.In a separate incident near Thalaimannar during the early hours of Thursday, the Sri Lankan navy seized two more motorised boats. Six fishermen on a boat belonging to Venkatesan were detained. Additionally, four fishermen on a boat belonging to Malairajan were apprehended. The fishermen were produced before the court and were remanded in judicial custody.Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin wrote to Union minister of external affairs S Jaishankar, seeking to secure the expeditious release of all the arrested Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats.In his letter, Stalin said the lives and livelihoods of the fishing community are highly dependent on the seas, and their frequent apprehensions caused profound distress among their families. As of now, 104 fishermen and 258 boats are under the custody of Sri Lankan authorities. Further, the continuing delay in repatriation of 12 fishermen who were released by the Jaffna court during the first week of Feb remains a concern that plunged the families into uncertainty and economic hardship."I therefore request you to take urgent diplomatic action for the repatriation of all the fishermen released from Sri Lankan custody and to secure the release of all detained Indian fishermen," said Stalin.