Fisherman dies after boat capsizes in Sri Lankan waters; India lodges protest

Chennai: An Indian fisherman from Rameswaram island lost his life and another was missing on Thursday after their fishing boat capsized near the disputed Katchatheevu Island while resisting arrest by Sri Lankan Navy personnel on board a patrol vessel.

The unfortunate incident prompted the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to summon Sri Lanka’s Acting High Commissioner to register India’s “strong protest” over it.

The slain fishermen, identified as 59-year-old Malaichamy, and three others set out in their boat belonging to one Karthikeyan from the fishing jetty in Rameswaram on July 31 afternoon along with 358 other fishing vessels.

According to initial information trickling in here, tens of boats were fishing near Neduntheevu (Deft Island) in Sri Lanka in the wee hours of August 1 when a patrol vessel of the island’s Navy chased them intending to take them into custody.

Under pressure to evade arrest, the fishermen are believed to have increased the speed of their trawling vessel, an equipment banned in Sri Lanka due to its ecologically destructive nature, but it capsized. Three fishermen were rescued immediately and taken to Punkuduthivu Hospital in Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka, where Malaichamy succumbed to his injuries.

While Ramachandran is still missing, the injured have been identified as Mookaiah and Muthumuniyandi, N Devadoss, President, Rameswaram Fishermen Association, told DH.

The incident, which comes close on the heels of over 50 fishermen being taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy since mid-June, triggered protests by locals and fishers in Rameswaram, who held a demonstration on Thursday by blocking the Madurai-Dhanuskodi national highway.

Confirming the death of an Indian fisherman, Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya said they were conducting a search operation to locate the missing fisherman. “The incident occurred when the Navy was involved in an operation to chase away poaching Indian trawlers. It capsized due to aggressive manoeuvres and rough sea conditions,” Wickramasuriya added.

In New Delhi, the MEA said diplomats from the Consulate General in Jaffna have already reached Kankesanthurai to extend all possible assistance to the fishermen and their families.

Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi was called in Thursday morning and a “strong protest” was registered over the incident, a statement from the MEA said.

“We expressed our shock and anguish at the unfortunate loss of life. Our High Commissioner in Colombo will also be raising the matter with the Sri Lankan government later today,” the MEA said, adding that utmost effort should be made to ensure that there is no recurrence or resort to the use of force.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the slain fishermen, told External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that the loss of life of Indian fishermen in such circumstances is both heartbreaking and unacceptable.

“This incident has left the fishing community devasted...The frequent intimidations by the Sri Lankan Navy in our traditional fishing area have created a sense of fear and anger among our fishing community. The incident is aimed at keeping the Tamil Nadu fishermen away from their traditional fishing waters of Palk Bay,” Stalin told Jaishankar.

Devadoss demanded that the Indian government ask “tough questions” to Sri Lanka on the fisherman's death and find a “permanent solution” to the problem. “The problems of Rameswaram fishermen have only compounded in the past 10 years. Arrests of fishermen and seizing of their boats and nationalising them by Sri Lanka continue unabated. A case of murder should be registered against the Lankan Navy personnel,” he added.

The arrest of Indian fishermen from Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and Ramanathapuram districts by the Sri Lankan Navy has been a recurring affair in the Palk Strait for the past few decades. The boats seized by the Sri Lankan Navy are nationalised, snatching livelihood from Indian fishermen.

The fishermen cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and step into Sri Lankan waters as the fish catch is abundant on the other side, often landing in trouble as the island’s Navy personnel encircle them in mid-seas, especially when they cross Katchatheevu, an uninhabited island ceded by New Delhi to Colombo in 1974.

The fishermen’s Tamil counterparts in Sri Lanka’s northern region say the bottom trawlers used by Indian fishermen scrap the seabed, bringing ecological destruction.