K Annamalai, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, has addressed a letter to S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, asking for help in the repatriation of 16 fishermen who have been detained by the Sri Lankan navy, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.
K Annamalai requested the intervention of the External Affairs Ministry in order for the inmates to be repatriated as soon as possible. He also mentioned that the fishermen’s two fishing boats had been impounded. C Annamalai’s plea for MEA intervention comes after the Sri Lankan Navy arrested two Indian fishing vessels and 16 fishermen on Saturday.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai lauded EAM S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking constructive initiatives to strengthen India-Sri Lanka ties, which he said had resulted in greater security for fishermen on the high seas, ANI reported quoting the letter written by state party chief.
The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended two Indian fishing boats and 16 fishermen from Kottaipattinam and Nagapattinam near Analaitheevu on Saturday. On March 11 at 07:00, 172 boats left Kottapattinam boat port under the limits of Meemisal Beach Police Station, Pudukkottai District, Mamelkudi Division to catch fish in the sea, ANI reported.
The fisherman, identified as Aarokyaraj, Ashok, and two others, were fishing 30 nautical miles out from Analaithivu. According to the fishermen’s group, they were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy for transboundary fishing and sent to the Barudhitura Naval Base.
Meanwhile, 12 fishermen from Akkaraipettai fishing port were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing earlier this morning and transferred to Karainagar port. The fishermen have been named Anandaman, Raja, Ravi, Mathibalan, Kathalingam, Ramamurthy, Raghu, Anbu, Dinesh, Chitraver, Ravi, and Velmail, according to the fishermen’s organisation.
Earlier in February, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka reported the increasing attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities. The Indian High Commission has urged the Sri Lankan government to investigate the incident and ensure that no force or violence is used against the fishermen.
(With Inputs From ANI)