Fisherman deported from Sri Lanka returns home, confirms Indian High Commission

Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 13 : One Indian fisherman has been deported from Sri Lanka and has reached India, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Wednesday.

In a post on X, the High Commission stated, "One Indian fisherman has been deported from Sri Lanka and has reached India."

https://x.com/IndiainSL/status/1955495307137220864

The development comes at a time when incidents of Sri Lankan Navy violations are on the rise. Following the end of the fishing ban on June 15, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 50 Rameswaram fishermen along with their 7 motorboats and one national boat. In response, fishermen have urged the central and state governments to take immediate action to secure the release of these fishermen and their boats.

They have also demanded that steps be taken to stop the Sri Lankan Navy's repeated intrusions that disrupt them and to restore their right to fish in their traditional areas, where Tamil Nadu fishermen are currently being denied access.

A protest was staged in Thangachimadam, where the fishermen reiterated their demands, including the immediate release of 24 fishermen who were arrested while fishing and have been imprisoned as convicts between 2024 and 2025. A large number of fishermen participated in the demonstration, which was led by All Fishermen's Association President Sesuraj, raising slogans in support of their demands.

The fishermen announced that they would hold a hunger strike on August 15, coinciding with Independence Day. If the central and state governments still fail to act after that, they warned they would launch a train strike on August 19, continuing until all their demands are met.

These protests come in the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Navy arresting 14 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district on August 6. Four of them were taken into custody from Thondi, Thiruppalai, while 10 others, were arrested from the Pamban area of Rameswaram in the same district.

The fishermen arrested from Thiruppalai have been identified as Vimalraj (24), Mathesh (20), Sakthi (18) and Karthi (18).

Sea Workers' Association State President S. Muruganantham, speaking to ANI, said, "The Sri Lanka Navy has arrested 4 fishermen from Thondi, Thiruppalai Vimalraj (24), Mathesh (20), Sakthi (18) and Karthi (18) who went fishing in a country boat from Thondi in Ramanathapuram district yesterday, along with the boat they were on. Similarly, the Sri Lanka Navy arrested 10 fishermen from Pamban who went fishing in a boat INT-TN-10-MM-2702 yesterday."

The incident of the Sri Lanka Navy arresting 14 fishermen from Ramanathapuram district in a single day has caused unrest among the fishermen.

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