7 months ago
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In presumption of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya’s three-day sojourn to India, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin connected Thursday (October 16, 2025) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to rise concerns with his Sri Lankan counterpart regarding the challenges faced by Indian fishermen successful the Palk Bay and to question an aboriginal and lasting solution done sustained diplomatic efforts.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin said the sportfishing communities of Tamil Nadu proceed to look important hardships owed to recurring incidents of harassment, attacks, and arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy. Since 2021, a full of 1,482 fishermen and 198 sportfishing boats person been apprehended successful 106 abstracted incidents, causing distress and economical nonaccomplishment to these communities.
He said the Tamil Nadu authorities has consistently sought the involution of the authorities of India to code these issues done diplomatic channels. He had raised this substance with the Prime Minister’s Office connected 11 occasions and made 72 representations to the Minister for External Affairs. However, these incidents proceed to hap unabated, helium said.
He urged Mr. Modi to sermon with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister the retrieval of the Katchatheevu island, the contiguous merchandise of fishermen and their boats, steps to code incidents of unit and theft astatine sea, the interaction of the nationalisation of seized sportfishing boats, and the revitalisation of the Joint Working Group (JWG) connected Fisheries.
Mr. Stalin said Tamil Nadu fishermen person traditionally fished successful the waters surrounding the Katchatheevu island, which was historically portion of India. The land was transferred to Sri Lanka by the Union authorities without obtaining the State government’s consent and without pursuing owed process – a determination consistently opposed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly since 1974. As a result, fishermen present look restricted entree to their accepted sportfishing grounds and predominant harassment connected charges of trespassing.
He said that 76 fishermen and 242 sportfishing boats from Tamil Nadu presently stay successful Sri Lankan custody. He urged the Prime Minister to property for their punctual repatriation and the merchandise of their vessels to alleviate the distress faced by affected families.
Beyond this, Indian fishermen often study attacks and theft of their sportfishing instrumentality and catch, allegedly perpetrated by Sri Lankan nationals. These incidents person instilled fearfulness and insecurity among coastal communities. Enhanced bilateral information coordination and accordant diplomatic engagement are indispensable to code this contented effectively, helium said.
Mr. Stalin besides pointed retired that the 2018 amendment to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Act has led to the nationalisation of seized Indian sportfishing boats, rendering their retrieval impossible. “This has caused terrible fiscal hardship and nonaccomplishment of livelihoods for affected fishermen. I petition that this contented beryllium raised to guarantee that livelihoods are not impaired permanently.”
The Joint Working Group connected Fisheries, established to resoluteness specified bilateral issues, has not convened regularly successful caller years. Reviving this mechanics would supply a structured level to code the concerns of fishermen from some nations, helium added.
