Protest staged in Rameswaram against arrest of 55 fishermen by SL Navy

Fishermen announce rail blockade on January 1

RAMESWARAM

A large number of fishermen and their family members from coastal hamlets in Ramanathapuram district staged a demonstration in Rameswaram on Monday, condemning the arrest of 55 fishermen from Rameswaram and Thangachimadam by Sri Lankan Navy on a charge of poaching in the territorial waters of the island nation.

Members of various fishermen associations, who participated in the protest, said it had become a routine for the Sri Lankan Navy to harass and humiliate the fishermen from Tamil Nadu in the Palk Bay. “Under some pretext or the other, they indulge in such kind of atrocities. This was the 19th incident in 2021,” said fishermen leader Jesu Raja.

At a time when the fishermen were finding it extremely difficult to make both ends meet, especially, post pandemic, such arrests and seizure of the vessels only pushed to the wall. Accusing the governments, the fisherfolk charged that the political parties promised so many things during the electioneering, but nothing tangible had moved.

All that the fishermen here have been seeking is to form a joint working group of the fishermen from TN and Sri Lanka, which would solve the problems. After all, the fishermen from the coastal districts in TN had enjoyed the hospitality of Sri Lankan fishermen until 1985. Trouble arose only then. Hence, the governments should make this possible, Mr Jesu Raja said and added that the fishermen should also be given the much needed relief on the subsidy part of the diesel as the costs incurred were phenomenal.

During the demonstration, the fishermen leaders announced to observe a token fast on December 22 to press for the release of the 55 fishermen. In the event of non-release of the arrested fishermen from the Sri Lankan prisons, who have been sent to judicial custody till December 31, the fishermen here have planned to resort to block the Chennai Express train on January 1, 2022 at Thangachimadam.

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