Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 4 : Nineteen fishermen from Tamil Nadu apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on January 23, have been repatriated from the island nation and are on their way to Chennai. In an official post on X, the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka confirmed the return of 19 fishermen, "Returning home! 19 Indian fishermen have been repatriated from Sri Lanka and are now on their way from Colombo to Chennai."
There have been recurring incidents of arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. On February 5, in a move aimed at drawing attention to their longstanding grievances, Rameswaram fishermen held a symbolic strike and outlined a series of demands to address the challenges they face. The fishermen also declared their intent to return their voter ID cards to the central government and boycott the elections if their demands remain unmet. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed concerns about the increase in attacks on members of the state's fishing community in the region and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resolve the issue at the earliest.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Stalin stated, "I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the alarming increase in incidents of apprehension of Tamil fishermen and their boats by the Sri Lankan authorities. This issue severely impacts the right to livelihood of these fishermen, as the communities have utilised these fishing waters for generations." CM Stalin urged PM Modi to renew the Joint Action Group to resolve fishermen's issues. He also highlighted a 'significant increase' in the number of fishermen being arrested.
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