Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) Feb 24 (UNI) The mechanised boat fishermen of Rameswaram – one of the major marine food centres’ in South India—began an indefinite strike on Monday, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all the Tamil Nadu fishermen and fishing trawlers detained by Sri Lanka.
The busy Rameswaram fishing jetty wore a deserted look, as 4,000-odd fishermen abstained from fishing activities, leaving over 700 registered mechanised fishing trawlers anchored in the Rameswaram fishing jetty.
The strike call was given by the Federation of All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association, after the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 32 fisher folk from Rameswaram and confiscated their five mechanized fishing trawlers allegedly for poaching in its territorial waters early on Sunday.
Talking to newsmen here, P. Seshu Raja, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Coastal Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association, said the continuous incarceration of innocent fishermen by Sri Lankan maritime forces poses a major threat to the livelihood of hundreds of fishermen and other workers depending on the fishing industry.
The Sri Lankan Navy has stepped up their offensive by attacking the fishermen and damaging the fishing nets and boats intentionally, which have triggered panic among us, he said.
The Indian government should take up the protracted fishing rights issue with the Sri Lankan government and ensure that they exercise restraint from arresting and attacking fishermen and restore the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait.
The next course of action would be taken by the association soon, he added.
The strike would severely hit the livelihood of more than 10,000 people, including fisherfolk depending on the fishing industry, and would result in a huge loss of foreign exchange to the government exchequer, as several tonnes of marine species were exported to various South Asian countries from Rameswaram via Thoothukudi and Chennai harbours.
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 131 fishermen from Rameswaram, Nagapattinam, and Pudukottai districts of Tamil Nadu and impounded 18 boats so far this year.
In 2024 alone, the Sri Lankan maritime forces apprehended 554 fishermen, seized 72 boats, and initiated legal action against them.
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