Various fishermen’s associations from different parts of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry, who met at Rameswaram, have planned to launch a “major, prolonged” agitation to press the Central and State governments to take steps to get all the fishermen arrested in recent months released by the Sri Lankan authorities and also their boats. 

The Tamil Nadu mechanised boats fishermen’s welfare association general secretary, N J Bose said here on Tuesday that besides 24 Rameswaram fishermen, who were apprehended on Monday by the Sri Lankan Navy, ostensibly for crossing the international maritime boundary line while fishing near Katchatheevu along with their four boats, 54 other fishermen from other districts of Tamil Nadu, including Pudukkottai, arrested by the Island-Navy personnel in recent weeks should also be released. 

Representatives of the major fishermen’s associations who met here also demanded that 48 boats of Indian fishermen (all from Tamil Nadu) which have been seized by the Sri Lankan security forces should also be returned herewith, besides compensation paid to the kin of the missing fisherman Vilvaraj from Rameswaram. 

Unless the Central and State governments acted swiftly to redress the fishermen’s issues, a massive agitation by the fisher-folks of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry would ensue, they warned.

(Deccan Chronicle)