Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar requesting diplomatic intervention to secure the early release and safe repatriation of six Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
According to a statement issued by the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday (12), the fishermen from Mandapam in Ramanathapuram District were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on allegations of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
The fishermen had reportedly ventured out to sea on May 10 and were arrested along with their fishing boat. The detained fishermen were identified as Alex, Anthoni Rajan, Santhana Alocias, Arul They Britto, Albert and Sahaya Selvashanu.
In his letter to Jaishankar, Vijay urged the Indian government to utilize all available diplomatic channels to secure the release of the detained fishermen and their boat at the earliest.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also highlighted that 54 Indian fishermen are currently lodged in Sri Lankan prisons, while 264 fishing boats have allegedly been impounded by Sri Lankan authorities.
The issue of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing maritime boundaries remains a recurring point of concern between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. (Newswire)
