12 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained by Lankan navy; protests erupt in Rameswaram

Chennai: Twelve fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy on November 11, allegedly for trespassing and fishing in the island waters, a fisheries department official said on Tuesday.

Their counterparts in Rameswaram staged a protest in Pamban demanding the Central government’s immediate intervention to secure the release of the Nagapattinam fishermen and also others from the state arrested by the Lankan navy.

They also demanded an early end to the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen and also the seizure of their fishing vessels.

Traffic at Pamban came to a standstill when a large number of the mechanised boatmen and country boat fishers along with their families staged protest.

According to an official from the state fisheries department, the Nagapattinam fishermen set sail on a mechanised craft from Akkaraipettai fishing harbour on November 10 night. They were fishing near south-east of Kodiyakarai when the Sri Lankan navy arrested them on November 11 evening.