CM writes to MEA to secure release of fishers held in SL

Ramanathapuram: The South Asian Fishermen Fraternity (SAFF) has appealed to the Sri Lankan govt, Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar to ensure the immediate and safe return of six fishermen from Kanyakumari who were detained by the Sri Lankan navy after their boat drifted into International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) boundary due to a technical failure.Meanwhile, chief minister Vijay wrote to Jaishankar and said that six fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday. He also recalled that 54 fishermen are already in Sri Lankan prisons and 264 boats have been impounded by the Sri Lankan authorities.In this regard, CM requested the Union govt to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities through appropriate diplomatic channels to secure the release of the detained fishermen and their boats at the earliest.The six fishermen, identified as Alex, Anthonirajan, Santhana Aloysius, Arul Das Britto, Alfred and Sahaya Selvasanu, all hailing from Melmanakudi of Kanyakumari, were operating out of Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district. After setting sail in a country boat on May 10, the group failed to return as scheduled the following day, prompting a joint search operation by the Indian Coast Guard and local fishing communities.It was later confirmed that the crew had been rescued and subsequently detained by the Sri Lankan navy near Negombo. SAFF general secretary Churchill emphasised that the breach of the maritime boundary was unintentional, caused solely by an engine malfunction and heavy sea currents rather than a deliberate attempt to poach.The organisation requested that the Sri Lankan authorities treat the incident as a humanitarian case rather than a criminal one, urging them to release the men without filing formal charges or resorting to imprisonment. Churchill further called upon the state and central govts to intervene diplomatically to facilitate a swift repatriation process on goodwill grounds.