Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on August 25 wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar urging him to ensure the release of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, presently in Sri Lankan custody.
In his letter to the Union Minister, Mr. Panneerselvam further insisted the government initiate a diplomatic dialogue with Sri Lanka to immediately stop the recurrence of such incidents of apprehending fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
The frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen were worrisome, he said and further pointed out that fishermen associations have flagged that they were only pursuing their livelihood, in areas they have been fishing in ‘all along."
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Mr. Panneerselvam referred to the two recent incidents in which fishermen from Nagapattinam were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on August 10 and on August 22. Expressing pain at these incidents, the former CM said it had become a "regular occurrence" in the past few months.
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"It is very obvious that the intention of the Sri Lankan Navy is to infuse panic in the minds of the fishermen and thwart them from conducting fishing in their traditional waters," Mr. Panneerselvam contended.
