Lankan Navy apprehends 16 Indian fishermen, three boats

Neduntheevu (Sri Lanka), July 7 (ANI): The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 16 Indian fishermen along with their three boats in early morning hours on Thursday. Earlier on July 3, the Lankan Navy had apprehended five Indian fishermen and detained their fishing boat. Before these arrests, 57 Indian fishermen were in Sri Lankan custody. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa yesterday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to intervene and secure the immediate release of the Tamil fishermen and their fishing boats apprehended by the Lankan Navy. Fishermen from Tamil Nadu protested by standing waist deep in Sea in Rameswaram urging the immediate release of fellow fishermen from Lankan jail. The fishermen are shocked that country boat fishermen were also apprehended by Sri Lankan Navy. Jayalaithaa in her letter to Prime Minister Modi sought a lasting solution to the Tamil fishermen issue. She pointed out that traditional rights of fishing in Palk Bay is being denied for the Indian fishermen as Sri Lankan Navy is apprehending them. Fifty seven fishermen from Tamil Nadu are languishing in Lankan jail. Sri Lanka has also impounded 98 fishing boats which are getting damaged over the time. Sri Lanka normally releases apprehended fishermen as goodwill gesture but fishing boats are detained. The local fishermen are urging the government to secure the immediate release of fellow fishermen and 94 detained fishing boats. (ANI)