Twenty-one Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka to Chennai on Friday, a spokesman for the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said.
They were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) for allegedly being involved in illegal poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
At least 33 Indian trawlers and 220 Indian fishermen were apprehended by the SLN in 2023, according to the SLN statement in December.
Six Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu (TN) were arrested by SLN in December.
In a separate incident in the same month, 25 fishermen – 12 from Tamil Nadu and 13 from Puducherry – were also detained by the SLN.
The arrests of Indian fishermen by the SLN in the recent past have been a matter of concern not only for the Centre but also the TN Government.
In October, last year, TN Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar, expressing concern over the repeated arrests of Indian fishermen by the SLN, while reiterating his demand that the Centre do the needful in safeguarding the traditional fishing rights of the State’s fishermen in the Palk Bay region.
TN BJP President Annamalai also wrote to EAM Dr. Jaishankar over the issue.
The issue was also discussed during the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter’s visit to India in July last year. – NDTV
