3 weeks ago
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Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar on Thursday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to prohibition the destructive bottommost trawling sportfishing method, a signifier prohibited successful Sri Lanka since 2017. Expressing willingness to resoluteness the fisheries struggle done talks and diplomatic channels, helium said helium hoped to question to Tamil Nadu to conscionable the recently elected leader.
Addressing a property league successful Kilinochchi successful the island’s Northern Province, Minister Chandrasekar made notation of the long-festering fisheries struggle successful the Palk Strait, which impacts Tamil fishermen successful bluish Sri Lanka and their counterparts successful Tamil Nadu, successful effect to a question from the media.
Referring to Mr. Vijay arsenic “an histrion we each like”, Mr. Chandrasekar congratulated him connected his caller predetermination win. “There is caller anticipation wrong the State, wherever the radical person rejected household regularisation and corruption. They person opted for alteration and voted for Mr. Vijay,” helium said. “Now that you person voted for a change, don’t basal with your hands tied, proceed speaking up for the issues that substance to you and prompted you to ballot for change,” helium told Tamil Nadu’s voters.
Terming Mr. Vijay’s recent missive to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking New Delhi’s involution connected the merchandise of six Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested recently, a “good move”, Mr. Chandrasekar said that whilediplomatic channels indispensable beryllium pursued connected the issue, it is important for Mr. Vijay to recognize wherefore the arrests are being made successful the archetypal place.
In the aboriginal hours of May 12, 2026, six fishermen, each natives of Kanniyakumari district, who ventured into the oversea from Mandapam, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishermen acceptable retired to food contempt the ongoing yearly prohibition successful Tamil Nadu that is successful effect until June 14, 2026.
“The arrests are not arbitrary. Authorities detain fishermen from Tamil Nadu due to the fact that they prosecute an amerciable sportfishing method successful our territorial waters. Bottom trawling destroys marine resources and severely threatens the livelihoods of our bluish fishermen,” the Sri Lankan Minister said, reiterating a presumption that war-affected Tamil fishermen on Sri Lanka’s bluish seashore person been highlighting for years now.
Around 25 % of the radical connected the island’s northbound and eastbound beryllium connected fisheries for livelihood, Mr. Chandrasekar added. “Mr. Vijay should place those who ain the bottommost trawlers and look astatine the regular wage fishermen employed by them,” helium said, adding that erstwhile the Chief Minister takes indispensable steps to prohibition bottommost trawling, the request to apprehension Tamil Nadu fishermen successful Sri Lanka volition not arise.
According to information published by the Sri Lankan Navy, a full of 346 Indian fishermen were arrested successful 2026, connected charges of amerciable sportfishing successful the island’s territorial waters, portion 44 trawlers were seized.
