Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami today urged the Centre to use its good offices with the Sri Lankan Government to secure the release of Indian fishermen and 129 fishing boats.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Palaniswami said 10 fishermen, who went fishing from the Rameswaram fishing base of Ramanathapuram District, were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on March 21 early morning and taken to Kankesanthurai.

Today’s apprehension comes close on the heels of the shooting incident that occurred on March 6, 2017 in which an Indian fisherman Britjo, was killed and another injured.

“Though 85 fishermen were released shortly after Britjo’s killing, today’s apprehensions indicate that the Sri Lankan Navy has little regard for the diplomatic efforts being undertaken to solve the vexatious issue,” Palaniswami said. “There only seem to be continuous attempts by the Sri Lankan Navy to harass and intimidate our innocent fishermen eking out their meagre livelihood in the traditional fishing grounds of the Palk Bay through repeated arrests and apprehensions,” he added.

Palaniswami said the continuous arrests and apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy seemed to be an attempt only to prevent any diplomatic solution to the issue.

Palaniswami pointed out that 128 fishing boats were yet to be released and precariously berthed on the Sri Lankan shores.

“The prolonged detention and disuse of these boats would have caused irrevocable damages to them in Sri Lanka.

These boats must be returned in a refurbished, sea worthy condition”, he said adding “the Sri Lankan strategy of not releasing the boats of our fishermen is causing great frustration amongst the fishermen of Tamil Nadu whose source of livelihood has been taken away.”

The Chief Minister appealed to Modi to direct the officials concerned in the External Affairs Ministry to take action to secure the immediate release of fishermen and the boats.